His Favorite Christmas Story
by cj10824
Summary: Nothing exciting ever really happens for Troy Bolton in the small town of Greensborough, Delaware, but one snowy Christmas Eve he meets a young girl and that all changes.
1. The Night Before Christmas

**AN: Merry Christmas everyone!! I know this story is a bit late, but it's still Christmas for me, so it's not completely late haha! I have this song that's been stuck in my head forever that this story is sort of based off of called "His Favorite Christmas Story" by Capital Lights, and I've wanted to write a story like this for awhile. I definitely recommend checking it out, so go to youtube and type it in. I'll also post a link in my profile later tonight. Anyways, the story will probably be about 6-7 chapters and will hopefully be posted from now until December 31st. I hope you all enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the characters/places you don't recognize.  
**

**Chapter 1**

In a town of less than a thousand people, it was rare to see someone who you didn't know while walking down the street. Everyone knew who you were which made it difficult to attain any kind of privacy. Gossip usually travels like wildfire, but in the town of Greensborough, Delaware, it rarely took more than a day for everyone in town to know the latest bit of news.

At the age of fifteen, Troy Bolton had never been the talk of the town. Sure everyone knew who he was, which is why he rarely got into any kind of trouble. He was a good kid. Straight A student. Star of the football, basketball, and baseball teams—not a rare feat for anyone with a decent amount of athletic talent in a school of less than 150 students. And a lot of his free time was spent at the local senior citizens residence community in town. After developing a friendship with Mr. and Mrs. Walters a few years earlier, he'd spent nearly every Saturday with them, watching basketball with Mr. Walters, and showing his latest pictures to Mrs. Walters. A year back when he began high school, he'd taken an interest in photography and Mrs. Walters had become his biggest fan. But even more than that, Troy would list decorating for Christmas as one of his favorite activities to do with Mr. and Mrs. Walters. Troy had never met anyone who was as into Christmas as the Walters, but shortly after developing a friendship with them, Troy had also taken a great interest in the red and green holiday filled with snowmen, reindeer, bells, and Santa. In fact, some would go as far to say that Troy was obsessed with the holiday. That year alone he'd started decorating for Christmas, midnight of the day after Thanksgiving per his parents' pleas for him to wait until then, although his room had been decorated a month before that.

This was Troy's life, one that rarely sparked any talk from the town unless it involved sports, which Troy was perfectly fine with. He enjoyed laying low and not having everyone talking about him. That's the way he preferred it, and that was the way it had always been. But on one snowy Christmas Eve in Greensborough, that all changed.

---

"Troy, tell me why again you are here with two old fogies at 7:30 on a Saturday night, Christmas Eve nonetheless, when you are a handsome, young, popular fifteen year old boy? Shouldn't you be out partying with some friends? Maybe even getting into a little trouble?"

"Are you kidding me Mrs. W.? My dad would be pissed if he found out I'd been out partying, not to mention he'd probably cut back some of my playing time. Besides, why would I want to go out and party when I can spend some quality time with the two of you?" Troy charmed.

"But you spend every Saturday night with us! Don't you have some girl you want to go conveniently end up under the mistletoe with?"

"No Mrs. W.," Troy blushed, feeling awkward at the direction the conversation was headed in.

"Now I find that hard to believe," she countered, looking at her husband for support who nodded back.

"Me too, Troy. I agree with Joanne here. You need to go out!" Mr. Walters said as he drew a card from the deck in the center of the table. "Got any fours?"

"Go fish, got any tens?" Troy asked Mrs. W., who begrudgingly handed two over. "You're just saying that so she doesn't make you sleep on the couch tonight."

Mr. Walters chuckled, "You got me there kid, but it's the truth. I know what's good for me. Which is why I picked up this lady sixty-five years ago. I asked her for a dance, and never looked back," he finished, his arm gently wrapping around his wife who snuggled a bit closer to him. "Now don't tell me there aren't any girls you are interested in Son. I may be old, but I'm not stupid."

"I'm not lying!" Troy laughed, amused at the recurring conversation they'd had a few times that year. "You both do know there aren't a whole lot of girls to choose from in this town. Any threes?"

"Go fish. And stop being so picky and making up excuses!" Mrs. Walters scolded him playfully. "Alright kiss up husband of mine, do you have any kings?"

Mr. Walters sighed, handing one over. "Beautiful, how about two's?" Mr. Walters rolled his eyes, handing her another card. "Jacks?"

"Go fish," Mr. Walters grinned, before looking back at Troy. "Alright kid, any aces?"

"Go fish. Mrs. W, do you have any sevens?"

She groaned, handing one over and watching as Troy laid down his last pair of cards. "That's game."

"Maybe we should teach him some card game that he's not good at Henry," Joanne suggested, rolling her eyes as Troy smiled innocently. "Alright now look, we appreciate the gifts you've brought over and that you chose to spend Christmas Eve with us, but consider this a second part of our gift to you. Go out and be a kid for once! We'll still be here tomorrow."

"You sure?"

"Of course we are!" Mr. Walters spoke up, patting him on the back.

"Well, I did want to go downtown tonight and take part in some of the Christmas stuff going on."

"Oh, Henry and I used to love to do that each year. We'd sit by the fire and share a few dances out in the freezing cold, as we waited for Christmas Day."

"I wish you two could see it this year. You'd love the way they decorated the tree Mrs. W., and I hear the band this year is pretty good. Plus they are going to have a snowman making contest, Gingerbread man decorating, Gingerbread house decorating, and they are going to have Christmas movies showing throughout the night as always."

"That all sounds splendid Troy. Just find some kids your age please," Mrs. Walters added with a stern look.

Troy grinned cheekily, standing up from his seat and leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I promise Mrs. W. I'll swing by tomorrow to pick you guys up to come to our house for Christmas dinner around 5:00, alright?"

"Sounds great! Have a good night Troy, and Merry Christmas!" Mr. Walters said, shaking his hand.

"You too Mr. W.! Merry Christmas to you guys as well!"

--

Since the founding of the city of Greensborough, it had been all or nothing for Christmas. The snow dusted streets were lined with people, all bundled up in scarves and gloves. Not a single lamppost was forgotten as each had been decorated with bright red bows. Every store window was decorated and at each street corner stood a decorated tree.

Troy stuffed his hands in his pockets as he crossed the street to head over to the park in the center of town, where everyone had gathered, hot drinks in hand, listening to the band play Christmas carols while they sat next to the fire or gathered around the giant Christmas tree in the center of the park.

After picking up a cup of hot chocolate of his own, Troy made his way over towards some of the benches by the fire. Looking around for a place to sit, his eyes stopped on an unfamiliar face seated by the fire. She was beautiful to say the least. Dark brown wavy hair and chocolate brown eyes, bundled up in a black coat and a red Christmas scarf. Suddenly, Troy really wanted to talk with her. The words from Mrs. W., rang in his ears and he decided to be bold for once. Spinning around, Troy headed back to the table and paid for another cup first deciding it would provide him with a better opening line.

"Mind if I sit here?" Troy asked, interrupting her thoughts. Shyly the girl shook her head, wrapping her arms more tightly around herself while she smiled softly at him before gazing back at the fire in front of her.

"Thanks." The girl turned back to smile at Troy and when she did, her smile grew as she saw him holding out a cup of hot chocolate towards her. "I saw you sitting over here and I thought you looked like you could use something warm to drink."

"Thank you," the young girl said, taking the cup gratefully and bringing it up towards her face, letting the steam warm her up. "This was very sweet of you…," she paused, searching for his name.

"Troy," he supplied with a wide smile, reaching his hand out to shake hers.

The girl glanced down at his hand before looking back up at his smiling face, smiling herself and slipping her hand into his, "Gabriella."

"I haven't seen you around before."

"My parents are here on business."

"Business on Christmas?" Troy asked with his jaw slightly dropped, the idea almost foreign to him.

Gabriella nodded, rolling her eyes as she held the same opinion. "Seems wrong doesn't it? I mean, it's Christmas Eve! The night before the best day of the year, and yet they're off doing business stuff like they will be all day tomorrow. Some vacation this is."

"So they left you all alone in a town you've never been to before?"

"Pretty much."

"Wow," Troy muttered, his gaze leaving hers for a moment as he looked around the park at all the festivities before returning back to hers. "Well, I know we just met, but if you're sticking around for awhile, we can hang out together. They are going to be having a snowman making contest soon, and they'll be showing a movie also. I think it's Home Alone tonight. Wanna stick around?"

Troy's nerves grew as she hesitated for a moment, worried maybe he'd scared her off. "It's okay if you don't, I'd understand since you don't know me very well. But I promise I'm not some creep."

"I know you're not a creep," Gabriella giggled. "But are you sure you want to spend tonight with me? It's Christmas Eve, don't you have family to be with?"

"My family is all around here somewhere, but my parents like to hang out with their friends who are all way to boring if you ask me," Troy added in a soft whisper as if someone would overhear, "and my little sisters are off playing with their friends."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"Of course I am!" Troy answered confidently, hoping she'd agree.

"Okay then," Gabriella agreed, a smile tugging at her lips as Troy grinned widely at her, before ducking her face towards her cup of hot chocolate.

Troy took a sip of his own drink, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't believe how his heart sped up each time her eyes connected with his. Sure, he'd talked with girls before at school, but none of them ever had this type of an effect on him. Realizing he'd probably been quiet for too long, Troy decided to strike up a conversation again. "So where are you from?"

"Philadelphia."

"And how long are you guys here for?"

"I was told just for a couple of days, then off to New York, but with my parents' jobs, that could change any minute."

"Wow, you guys travel a lot huh?" Troy asked, feeling sad for her as he noted the disappointed tone of her voice.

"Yeah, well my parents do, and when I'm on breaks from school, they drag me along."

"They leave you at home by yourself while they're gone?"

Gabriella nodded, this subject usually upset her but she found it comforting at that moment as for the first time someone seemed to actually understand her feelings. "Yeah, they do. But I would rather have them do that then be taken all over the country and not have a normal high school experience."

"Good point, so you like school then?"

"I guess," Gabriella smiled while fibbing a bit, not wanting the cute guy she just met to think she was a geek.

"You play any sports or anything?"

"I play basketball, and then I'm on our school's decathlon team."

"Hey, me too! Well, not the decathlon team, but I play basketball. Our school is too small for a decathlon team."

"What position do you play?"

"Point guard usually. It's the place I'm most comfortable on the court. What about you?"

"Shooting guard or point guard. Since I'm way too short for any other position." Troy chuckled as she laughed at herself, his interest in the girl next to him growing rapidly. "You play any other sports?"

"Football and baseball."

"Wow, three sports, huh? You must be really talented."

Troy blushed, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, his signature nervous habit. "Well don't forget this is a small town. There isn't a whole lot of competition."

"Still," Gabriella persisted, bumping his arm with her elbow causing them both to blush, "Three sports is impressive."

"Thanks," Troy said before finishing off his hot chocolate, trying to hide his reddened cheeks before glancing over at the area where the Christmas movies and Gingerbread man decorating were taking place. "I think the movie is starting soon. You want to go check it out?"

"Sure," Gabriella happily agreed, taking the last sip of her hot chocolate and grinning shyly when she saw Troy's hand outstretched towards her as he stood in front of her. After gently placing her hand in his, she allowed him to help her up. Both of them had gloves covering their hands, yet still they felt butterflies as their hands locked together.

"Come on, I'll get you another cup of hot chocolate too before we head over there."

"No Troy, you don't have to-," Gabriella protested, stopping as Troy tugged her over to the table, blushing as the women at the table smiled knowingly at the two who still had their hands together.

"Hi again Mrs. Anderson," Troy greeted the red-haired woman at the table kindly. "Can I get two more cups of hot chocolate please?"

"Troy at least let me pay-,"

Before Gabriella could reach into her jacket pocket, Troy took her other hand in his. "No way Gabriella! You are a guest here, and I'm treating you."

"Where are you from sweetie?" Mrs. Anderson asked as she took the money from Troy and handed them each their cup of hot chocolate.

"Philadelphia, my parents are here on business."

"Well welcome to Greensborough! Troy here is one of the nicest boys in town, so you are definitely in good hands. You two enjoy the evening. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Gabriella responded, looking up at Troy whose cheeks were tinted pink once more.

"Thank you Mrs. Anderson, we better get over there to the movie before it starts. Merry Christmas!"

"Come on," Troy told her, gripping her hand a little more tightly in his as he led her away. "It's warmer in the room where they are showing the movie. You're still sure about this right? Cause if you want to do something else or go find your parents, I understand."

"Troy," Gabriella stopped him as she squeezed his hand, "I'm sure. It's either hang out with you, the first person I've had a decent conversation with for days, or go back to the hotel and sit by myself bored out of my mind."

"Alright then Miss Ella, care to join me for some movies and for the creation a killer Gingerbread house?"

If her heart wasn't fluttering before, it for sure began to the second she heard her nickname roll of his lips. "Definitely."


	2. Love at First Sight

**AN: Thanks everyone for the reviews! Sorry this is getting out so late, but I got distracted with the USC football game, the Lakers game, and wii LOL. The link for the song for this story is up on my profile, so check it out if you get a second. As you can tell, the story isn't going to completely follow the song, but the song is where the inspiration comes from. **

**Chapter 2**

When Gabriella had been told that she would be going with her parents for Christmas to the small town of Greensborough Delaware, a town which she'd never heard of and could barely find on a map, she had never imagined that she'd be sitting where she was at that moment. But there she was. Sitting in a small theater-style room on a couch, next to a boy she'd just met mere hours earlier—a boy who was extremely attractive, and the only one who'd ever shown a real interest in her. Well, there was Dwight Henson in the seventh grade, but he was just plain creepy.

Troy was different than any other guy in her life though. She'd never clicked so well with anyone, and laughed so much in one night. Currently the two were seated side by side, their hands sticky with frosting as they attempted to put together their gingerbread house which had yet to stay up for longer than three seconds.

"Hold it up! Hold it up!" Troy whispered so he wouldn't disturb the other people in the room who were also watching the movie, as he quickly tried to paint some more frosting onto the sides of the house to hold it in place before it could collapse again.

"It's going to fall again!"

"It won't! We got it this time. You have to believe Ella!" Troy scolded her playfully, smiling when she erupted in giggles.

"I believed when we started this house thirty minutes ago. But let's be realistic here Troy, we haven't gotten it to stay up yet for longer than five seconds."

"It will stay up! If I have to, I will keep my hands around it and hold it up for the rest of the night, but I am determined to make it stand," Troy told her, his tongue darting out of the corner of his mouth as he steadied the house once more, slowly removing his hands from the house, holding his breath so as to not allow even a little puff to blow their house down. "One, two, three, four, five, six!" Troy counted out, his teeth shining through his huge smile as he glanced over at Gabriella, proud of his accomplishment. His smile faltered though when he heard her began to laugh loudly, and quickly he whipped his head back towards their house, groaning as he saw it had collapsed once more.

"You kids need a little help there? This frosting is a little stickier than the last batch."

"Thank you Mrs. Ellis." Troy smiled gratefully at the elderly woman who was helping to organize the event, taking the bowl of frosting from her and setting it on the table in between the two of them. "Now we'll get it to stay up," Troy said to Gabriella as he took some frosting on a spatula and began to spread it on the walls of the house.

"Whatever you say Mr. Architect," Gabriella responded with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Alright you two, let me know if you need anything else," Mrs. Ellis told them, winking at Troy and ruffling his hair while walking by.

Troy's cheeks began to turn pink when he realized Gabriella had seen the look from the older lady. Trying to distract himself, Troy began to put the house back together, holding his breath as he let go of it again and then proceeding to smile teasingly at Gabriella when it stayed up. "See, I told you it would stay up! And you doubted me…"

Gabriella rolled her eyes at his dramatics, "I'm sorry I ever did."

"Alright, ready to decorate the house?"

"Let's do it," Gabriella smiled, taking an extra spatula in hand as the two began to coat the house in white frosting before taking the various candy on the table and placing it on the house.

Thirty minutes later, the two of them sat back on the couch, admiring their handiwork that was sitting on the table in front of them, next to the two gingerbread men they had made and decorated for each other. "Told you we'd make a killer Gingerbread house," Troy whispered to her, his warm breath on the side of her face causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach as her cheeks heated up. "You want to sit here and finish the movie or go back outside?"

Feeling a boldness she didn't know she had in her, Gabriella scooted a bit closer to Troy, their bodies touching from their shoulders all the way down to their feet, "There's only a little bit left of the movie, so let's stay here. Plus, it's warmer in here."

"It is," Troy whispered back, a wide grin on his face as he boldly placed his arm around the back of the couch, allowing her to get a bit closer to him. They both pretended to watch the movie in front of them but in reality, neither of them were actually aware of the movie. The only thing they were aware of was the closeness of the person next to them and how much they didn't want the night to end.

--

"Troy!!" Gabriella shrieked and attempted to duck behind her snowman as a small snowball flew through the air towards her, landing a few feet behind her. "I didn't mean it!" Gabriella cried out, trying to make peace with her new friend after insulting his snowman moments earlier.

After finishing the movie, the two had walked hand in hand over to the snowman making contest to begin making their creations. Troy had challenged Gabriella to a race to see who could finish theirs first, but he had clearly underestimated Gabriella who finished minutes before him, standing next to a completed snowman while Troy's was still missing a head.

"Sure you didn't!" Troy called back, preparing a few more snowballs. "You called me slow and talentless. You said my snowman was ugly."

"No, I didn't call you slow, you said that yourself" Gabriella protested, ducking with a shriek as another snowball sailed past her ear, "I just called you talentless."

"That makes it so much better," Troy laughed, standing up from behind his snowman to throw another snowball at her, only to be nailed in the chest with one. Looking down at his coat, Troy amusedly shook his head wiping off the remnants of snow on his coat with a big swipe of his hand and looking up when he heard Gabriella's laughter. "Nice shot."

"Thank you, I thought so too," Gabriella teased through her laughter, taking a bow, only to fly back towards the snow behind her as Troy came running at her and tackled her. Groaning as Troy shifted his weight on her, Gabriella cried out when Troy smashed a chunk of snow into her hair. "Uncalled for!"

"Oh, I believe it was very much called for, Ella. You hit me with a snowball, remember?"

"I was defending myself! You started it by throwing them at me!" Gabriella's breath caught in her throat as she saw the look in Troy's eyes change. He'd been so playful seconds early, but suddenly he turned more serious, his eyes burning into hers. Bringing up his hand towards her face, Troy gently swiped a bit of snow off her cheek, the shy smile on her face causing his to return.

Suddenly Troy snapped out of his daze and shifted off of her. "I'm sorry, here I am squishing you into the freezing cold snow." Quickly jumping up off the ground, Troy held his hands out to her, pulling her up off the ground.

"It's okay, thank you though," Gabriella assured him, leaning down to brush the snow off her pants as Troy did the same, shivering when she stood back up.

"No it isn't, look, now you're shivering," Troy argued, cursing himself. "Want to go sit by the fire for a bit?"

Gabriella nodded, taking Troy's hand as he held it out to her, the gesture much more comfortable than awkward despite their short time of knowing each other. When they reached the firepit, Troy guided the two of them over to an empty bench, gesturing for Gabriella to sit down first. "I'm going to go set my gloves by the fire since they are soaked. Want me to take yours as well?"

"I can take my own-," Gabriella began as she stood up, stopping when Troy gently guided her back to her seat.

"I've got it Gabriella. Really, it's the least I can do," Troy said, taking the gloves from her and quickly setting them over on a log next to the fire before making his way back towards her.

"Do you want to move closer to the fire, or are you okay here?"

"Here is fine, really I'm not that cold."

"You sure about that?" Troy questioned her, reaching over to place his hand over hers. "Gabriella, your hands are like ice!"

"Well we have been making snowmen out of _ice_ and having snowball fights with _ice_," Gabriella pointed out sarcastically earning a hearty laugh from Troy.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Miss Decathlon," Troy joked with her, bumping her elbow with his, keeping his hand over hers. "But your hands are so much colder than mine, are you sure you don't want to move closer or maybe go inside?"

"I'm sure Troy, thank you though." Gabriella couldn't help but smile at his concern for her, and her smile only grew when he reached for her other hand, now holding both hands in his as he rubbed his over hers for warmth.

After a few moments, Troy looked up from her hands to see her gaze directed towards a few kids on the other side of the fire, the most beautiful smile on her face. His photography sense suddenly kicked in as he reluctantly his hands from hers and scooted over a bit, picking up his backpack off the ground that he'd been lugging around all night and pulling out his camera that he never left home without. Grateful that she was still lost in her own world, oblivious to his actions while she watched the children across the way, Troy snapped a few photos quickly, only to be caught as Gabriella heard the sound of a camera.

"Troy!"

"What?" Troy grinned back innocently. "It was a great picture, trust me."

Gabriella just blushed at his comment, hiding her face from him, causing Troy to laugh and take a seat next to her once more. Reaching out, Troy placed his arm around her shoulders, tugging her into his side in a friendly hug. "Sorry, I just can't help it sometimes. Blame it on the love for photography."

"I guess so, huh? So you develop these pictures yourself?"

"Yeah, my parents let me turn one of the rooms in our basement into a dark room, so I develop all of my own pictures there."

"How long does it take you?"

"A few hours."

"That's really cool. Maybe I should take photography next year."

"You should," Troy laughed, wrapping his arm more tightly around her. "Would you mind if we took a picture together?"

"I guesssss," Gabriella sighed teasingly, acting like it was a drag while inside she was jumping for joy when she felt Troy's cheek press against hers when he held the camera out in front of them.

"Would you like me to take that picture for you?" The two looked up to see Mrs. Anderson standing above them.

"That'd be great, thank you Mrs. Anderson."

After snapping a few photos, Mrs. Anderson handed the camera back to Troy, "Have you two been to the photobooth yet?"

Troy shook his head, "What photobooth?"

"There's one over in Mr. Thompson's store that we set up. You both should go over there," Mrs. Anderson suggested, sending the two one last knowing smile before walking away.

"You want to?" Troy asked Gabriella, uncertain if she'd be willing to have more pictures taken of herself.

"Can we take a funny picture?"

"Sure, we can take a couple. I have a few funny faces I could use."

"Besides the naturally funny looking face you already have?" Gabriella covered her mouth, stifling her laugh when she saw Troy's shocked face.

"Oh look at you! Ella's got some jokes!"

"Just a couple," Gabriella giggled, taking his hand as he helped her up.

"Alright, let's go before I get insulted even more," Troy said, taking her over to pick up their gloves before they placed them on their hands and made their way over to the photobooth.

--

It was nearing 10:45 in the evening, when the two exited the photobooth, each with a filmstrip in hand containing four pictures of them—the first with funny faces, the second one of Troy tickling Gabriella, the third of Troy kissing Gabriella's cheek, and the fourth of them with their cheeks pressed closely together as their smiles lit up their faces.

Troy gripped Gabriella's hand tightly in his, his nerves kicking in as he glanced over at the gazebo where couples were dancing. He wanted to ask her, and had been thinking about it most of the night whenever he saw the dancing couples and thought back to Mr. and Mrs. Walters' story, but each time he chickened out. Glancing at his watch though, he knew his time with her was sadly coming to a close and he needed to act quickly or end up regretting it.

"You okay Troy?" Gabriella asked him, concerned at how his demeanor had suddenly changed and she felt the tenseness in his body.

"Yeah, sorry," Troy apologized, bringing his free hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Um, do you have to go soon?"

Looking at the time, Gabriella shook her head. "No, I don't need to be back to the hotel until around 11:30. Why?"

Deciding he needed to just do it, Troy threw caution to the wind, "I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me?" Troy finally asked, holding his breath as he watched her expression change momentarily, before a grin took over once more and she nodded her head excitedly.

"I haven't ever really danced before, so you have to forgive me if I'm horrible."

"Me either," Troy admitted as his cheeks flushed once more. "Aren't we quite the pair?"

"Well at least if I step on your toes, I can just blame it on your lack of coordination right?"

"Funny Ella," Troy murmured, leading her up the gazebo steps before tugging her towards him, his right arm wrapping around her back while he gently wrapped his left hand around hers. Slowly, the two began to sway back and forth to the music, completely unaware of everyone around them. Pulling Gabriella closer to him, Troy reflexively smiled when he felt her lay her cheek on his chest. Unable to resist, he rested his chin on her head, breathing in her scent and closing his eyes, forgetting all about anything except her in that moment. He didn't want the night to end. He knew it had to, but for that moment, he was going to savor every bit of it.

Letting his eyes drift up to the ceiling, Troy felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw what was hanging directly above him. Hearing Troy's quiet gasp, Gabriella removed her cheek from his chest, glancing up at him before following his eyes, her breath stopping as well when her eyes caught the item. Her heart began to race when she felt Troy's hand gently cup her cheek. Their eyes locked and she knew exactly what was about to happen. It didn't take a genius to figure it out, and even though both of them knew that things would get even more difficult if they followed through with what was about to happen, neither seemed to care at all.

Resting her hand on Troy's shoulder, Gabriella leaned up to meet Troy's lips as they swooped down towards hers. Sure, a kiss under the mistletoe was a Christmas tradition, but in that moment, both of them knew that their motives were anything but fulfilling tradition. They were drawn to each other, and for the few short minutes they had left together that evening, they were going to make the most of it.


	3. Favorite Christmas Story

**AN: I made a banner today for this story that's linked on my profile if anyone wants to check it out. And also if you haven't already, the song is there to check out as well. Again, this story won't exactly follow the song, but it may give you a few hints here or there if you are curious. **

**Chapter 3**

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except Troy who had been tossing and turning since he'd gotten into bed. It was 11:52 and Troy had just arrived home a few minutes earlier after dropping Gabriella off at her hotel. They had danced for one more song after their earlier kiss under the mistletoe and begrudgingly traveled back to her hotel room, neither one ever letting go of the other's hand. Their gloves had been removed as they opted instead to interlace their fingers together and rested them inside Troy's jacket pocket. They hadn't wanted the night to end. Both knew they had let things go too far. After all, they only had known each other a few hour and probably wouldn't see each other after that week, but still they couldn't resist the pull between them. It was rare for either of them to have an experience like they'd had that Christmas Eve, and they planned to make the most of every moment. Troy hadn't hesitated to ask if she'd be there the next day and if he could stop by at some point. Gabriella eagerly agreed that he should stop by since she would most likely still be in Greensborough until the next evening. So with a lingering hug and a swift kiss on the cheek, Troy finally released her from his grasp and walked home, Christmas not even on his mind as Gabriella filled his thoughts.

And that was the state he was currently in. Usually on Christmas Eve, Troy would either be wide awake in anticipation for Christmas to arrive the next morning, or he'd be sound asleep willing the morning to come faster. However, he wasn't doing either of those. Well he was wide awake, but that was only because he couldn't get Gabriella off his mind. From the way her skin felt against his lips, to her musical laugh, to her wonderful scent, to the way her hand fit in his and the way her eyes gazed into his—she was ever-present in his thoughts. He had to see her the next day. He didn't even get her number. There had to be some way they could at least stay in contact, even if they were just friends. He couldn't possibly let an opportunity to know a wonderful girl like Gabriella slip through his fingertips. If he did, not only would he regret it, but he was sure Mrs. W. would not let him hear the end of it.

Finally after lying in bed for ten minutes, not a bit closer to sleep, Troy swung his legs out of bed and made his way to his desk where he'd placed his camera. If he was going to see Gabriella the next day, he needed to at least bring her a gift. It was Christmas after all. Quickly popping the film out of his camera, Troy quietly opened his door and tiptoed downstairs to the basement. There wasn't much Troy could give to her last minute since all the stores were closed in Greensborough, but she had said she wanted to see some of his photos, so this seemed like the perfect choice.

Flipping on the lights in his photo room, Troy quickly set up all the chemicals for developing his film, making sure all the supplies were ready, before turning on his iPod to some Christmas music and turning the lights back out.

Ninety minutes later, after developing the film and drying it to prepare it to be printed, Troy began to look through the strips of film, searching for the perfect pictures for Gabriella. He had found an old picture frame he'd purchased a few months back, and decided it would be perfect to place his pictures in for her.

After looking at the filmstrips for a few minutes and picking out a picture looking down on Greensborough that he'd taken a few weeks earlier on a hilltop, Troy's eyes came across the picture he'd snapped of Gabriella sitting by the fire earlier that evening. Even though it was just a negative on the filmstrip, a tiny little picture, Troy was still struck by her beauty. The picture was just perfect, one of the best he'd taken in awhile, and he had to give it to her. His fingers continued to gently unroll the strip of film, and after looking through all of the pictures, he'd decided on two other shots—one that Mrs. Anderson had taken of the two of them while sitting by the fire, and the other of them hugging and smiling brightly at the camera that a friend of his had taken while they were dancing.

He was amazed at how much their faces were glowing in both pictures. He'd never seen himself that happy and he'd never felt the way he did in that moment. He could only hope she felt the same. From the look in her eyes and the way she held onto him that night, he was pretty sure she did.

Flipping the lights back off, Troy began to print the pictures and nearly two hours later at close to 4:00 in the morning, he had finally decided on four prints that he was proud of. Hanging them up to dry in the room, Troy turned off his music and trekked back upstairs, hoping to get a little sleep.

--

The moment the clock hit 7:00 AM, Troy jumped up out of bed and darted downstairs. He didn't care that he was running on less than three hours of sleep. The rest of the night he'd been drifting in and out of sleep, his thoughts and dreams solely on seeing Gabriella when he woke up.

Jack and Lucille Bolton sat at the kitchen counter, drinking their morning coffee while they waited for their three children to come racing down the steps to see the presents under the tree. Hearing some noise upstairs, they grinned at each other as they watched their eldest Christmas-obsessed son fly down the steps. But their grins faded into confused looks when they watched him dart right by them and all the presents, as he went directly towards the basement, not pausing once to acknowledge them or the gifts under the tree.

"That was weird, huh?" Jack finally spoke up, taking a sip of his coffee and setting it on the counter.

"Maybe he left some gift hidden in the basement?" Lucille suggested as she drank her own cup of coffee, both of them shaking their heads as the door to the basement slammed shut.

Troy nearly jumped down the flight of stairs, flipping on the lights and looking once more at his finished product. Satisfied with their quality, Troy pulled some scissors out of a drawer, carefully cutting the pictures out and placing them inside the picture frame. His speedy actions came to a halt though the moment he flipped the frame over to see it in its entirety. She looked even more beautiful than he'd been remembering.

The sound of his sisters squealing upstairs snapped Troy out of his daze. Setting the frame down on a table, Troy found some wrapping paper and a bow, trying his best to wrap her package neatly while still rushing to get it done.

After neatly writing her name on the tag, Troy tucked the package under his arm and sprinted back up the stairs, yelling a quick goodbye to his family with a promise to return in an hour. The thick snow on the sidewalks did not stop Troy from running his hardest towards the hotel in town. Troy waved and yelled out his hellos to the few people out on the streets, not wanting to ignore them, but knowing he had very little time to spend with Gabriella before he had to get back to his family.

Finally he reached the hotel, the only one in town. Swinging open the front door to the lobby, Troy took a moment to try to catch his breath while his eyes scanned back and forth for Mr. Chambers, the owner of the hotel.

"Hey there Troy! Merry Christmas!" Troy whipped his head around when he heard the voice behind him and quickly tried to catch is breath, still huffing from his sprinting. "What brings you here so early this morning?"

"Hey Mr. Chambers! Um, are the-," Troy paused, realizing he didn't even know her last name. Just great. "Last night, I met this girl, Gabriella," Troy paused again, blushing bit from embarrassment as he tried to describe her, "…long brown hair, a little shorter than me, about my age…"

"Yeah?"

Crap. Now he was getting more nervous. "She's got brown eyes-,"

"I know who you are talking about Son," the older man interrupted. "I saw you drop her off last night. I just wanted to see you get all nervous and flustered."

"Oh," Troy chuckled, growing even more embarrassed.

"Sorry Troy, I couldn't resist," Mr. Chambers teased. "You two seemed quite close last night. Have you met before?"

"No sir, we just met last night," Troy admitted, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck, and then proceeding to clear his throat as he hoped to change the subject. "Do you know what room she is staying in? I wanted to drop this off for her, and leave my name and number." Troy held up the neatly wrapped package like it was a prized possession, his smile faltering when he saw Mr. Chambers shake his head.

"I'm sorry Troy, they left early this morning."

His emotions did a complete 180 as his heart sank. "All of them? They didn't just leave for a meeting or something?"

Mr. Chambers shook his head once more, stepping closer to Troy and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Son, but they left town. The dad said that they had scheduled a last minute meeting in New York they had to get to. If it makes you feel any better though, the girl looked completely devastated that they had to leave. In fact," Mr. Chambers held up his finger, motioning for Troy to wait one second as he walked back behind the counter and grabbed an envelope, "she left this for you…asked me to give it to you when you stopped by."

His eyes peered down at the envelope being held out to him, his name written on the front. It wasn't quite what he was expecting, but at least it was something. "Thanks, Mr. Chambers. Merry Christmas," Troy told him, mustering up the best smile he could and taking the envelope in his hands, his finger rubbing over the letters of his name.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Troy. Tell your family I said hello."

"I will," Troy promised, tucking his gift for Gabriella back under his arm, still looking at the envelope as he pushed open the front door and stepped back out into the snow.

On his walk back to his house, Troy did his best to smile at the familiar faces in town as he walked by, and tried not to let the sympathetic glances get to him. Word had already spread that the new girl who had stolen Troy's attention the night before had left town with her family, and in Greensborough, it didn't take long before everyone knew the latest bit of news. Ignoring the mentions of his name in the conversations of people who were passing by him, Troy kept a tight hold on the envelope, looking down at it every few minutes.

Finally reaching his house, Troy went straight up to his room, walking past the kitchen where his parents were making breakfast for the family to eat before opening presents. Setting the wrapped present on his dresser, Troy went over to his bed, taking a deep breath and running his fingers over the envelope once more before carefully opening it. Troy unfolded the letter and began to read her words carefully, line by line.

_Dear Troy,_

_I hope you aren't completely mad at me. I wanted to stay and meet up with you again, but my parents woke me up this morning and told me we had to leave right away. I tried to persuade them to stay, but they wouldn't budge. They've been hurrying me all morning, and in fact, they are yelling at me to stop writing and grab my things right now. Figures that on the one day of the year we should be staying in one place and spending time as a family, they are rushing me off to yet another business meeting. I am really sorry Troy. I feel terrible. I hope you won't be too angry with me when you get this letter. I wish we could have hung out a little today. I wanted to be able to thank you in person once more for last night, but I guess I'll just have to do it this way. Last night meant a lot to me, I hope you know that. No one has ever really taken the time to get to know me like you have, and even though we've only known each other for a short time, I will definitely miss you. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun with someone, especially on Christmas. My holidays are usually pretty dull, but thanks to you, this year is not the same. I hope that I didn't completely ruin your Christmas Day and that you have a great one for the both of us. Merry Christmas! _

_Gabriella_

Troy re-read the letter a few times, never once feeling anger, but only feeling regret that she had to leave so quickly and feeling sadness that while he was blessed to be spending time with family and friends on Christmas, she was off by herself in some hotel in New York.

Standing up, Troy walked to his desk, unwrapping the frame that he was planning to give Gabriella, setting it on his dresser and placing the letter right next to it. Spotting the filmstrip from the night before, laying on his desk, Troy picked it up and smiled as he looked at all the pictures, chuckling at the one of them making funny faces and grinning when he saw the look on her face in the picture where he kissed her cheek. Carefully he placed the picture on the inside of the frame along with the others and smiled at the finished product.

"Troy! It's time for breakfast!" Troy let his fingers ghost over the frame one last time before making his way out of his room and downstairs. His day didn't start out great, but it was Christmas after all—his favorite day of the year. He was going to make the most of it like she'd asked.

---

The table was filled with various dishes of food later that night as the Bolton family and Mr. and Mrs. Walters gathered around the dining room table. Troy sat in between the two, eagerly filling up his plate like any growing teenage boy with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, salads, and a growing pile of macaroni and cheese.

"Slow down there boy," Mr. Walters reprimanded Troy as he put another scoop of macaroni and cheese on his plate, "save some for the rest of us."

"You don't want any of this Mr. W., this will just put the pounds on and you need to stay nice and thin to keep Mrs. W. around," Troy teased, taking one more scoop of macaroni and cheese before passing it along down the table.

"I do have a lot of offers," Mrs. Walters teased before quickly kissing away her husband's pout. "I'm just kidding hun. So Troy, I heard from Lillian today that you were out with some girl last night at the Christmas Eve gathering. Did I hear that right?"

Troy felt his cheeks heat up as everyone turned to look at him, waiting for a confirmation. "She said that?" He asked, taking a bite of his dinner trying to play it off.

"Troy Bolton, don't play games with me. Don't make me rely on the town gossip. What was her name?"

Sighing, Troy gave in, knowing he'd just get pestered until he came clean. "Gabriella."

"And how old was she?"

"She's my age. She isn't from around here though. She lives in New York and was just in town while her parents were here on business," Troy told them, his disappointment evident in his tone as he talked about her for the first time that day.

Mrs. Walters placed her hand over his, getting him to look up at her. "Lillian told me she had to leave this morning. Sweetie, I'm sorry. "

Troy nodded at the older woman, smiling gratefully at her. "Thanks, Mrs. W."

"At least you were able to meet her though, right?"

"Yeah," Troy nodded. Even though he had been hoping that he'd get to spend more time with Gabriella, he had been thinking all day that he was grateful for at least being able to spend the time he did with her. He'd rather have spent the time getting to know her last night, and give her a good Christmas memory, than having never met her at all. "I'm definitely glad I met her."

"Me too Troy, I'm happy for you. So Lucille, how has work been for you?" Troy smiled gratefully at Mrs. Walters as she changed the subject for him, sending him a wink in response. Finally the attention was off of him.

--

Troy knew what was coming thirty minutes later as the desserts were passed around the table. It was a Christmas dinner tradition. During dessert every year, the family would share stories of their favorite Christmas memory. It hadn't taken Troy long to come up with the story he wanted to share. For him, it was plain and simple.

Christmas had always been his favorite time of year. He had experienced plenty of exciting Christmas memories in the previous years, but all of them dulled in comparison to the night before. It had been the only thing on his mind, and he knew it'd be that way for awhile. From the pictures to the gingerbread house making, to the snowball fight, every memory brought a smile to his face.

So when it came his turn, Troy didn't hesitate one bit. She was his favorite Christmas story.


	4. Shed a Little Holiday Cheer

**AN: Sorry this is late getting out. And I apologize for any typos as it is almost 4 AM my time and my internal spell check is probably not fully functioning. **

**Chapter 4**

"Troy, where do you want me to put this box? I think this is the last of them."

"Just set it over there please," Troy instructed his dad, pointing over towards the bed. "Thanks Dad."

"Your roommate isn't here yet?"

Troy shook his head at his mom while pulling some clothes out of a bag and placing them in his dresser. "The RA said he hadn't checked in yet."

"What's his name again?"

"Chad Danforth, that's all I know."

Lucille walked over to Troy and began helping him empty out his bag and place clothes in his dresser. "You don't know what he looks like?"

"Nope," Troy responded, busying himself with emptying the box full of his desk stuff since his mom had taken over. "All we know are each other's names."

Mrs. Bolton busied herself putting the rest of his clothes away, repeatedly appearing to hesitate and start to say something before stopping herself. Finally she finished and turned to him with a worried look. "Honey, are you sure you're going to be okay here?"

Troy sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Mom, I'll be fine."

"Lucille," Jack warned, very aware of the conversation that was coming.

"Jack, I just want to make sure he's going to be alright. He's never really been outside the city, and he's never been on his own."

Troy shook his head, amused at his mother's concern. "Mom, I'll be fine, trust me. You guys aren't that far away. It's only a few hours."

"What if he turns out to be a horrible roommate? What if he does drugs? What if he just parties all the time? What if he has tattoos all over and piercings all over his face?"

"Mom, you worry too much. Not every college student spends their time partying and doing drugs, and I'm fairly certain that most aren't covered in tattoos and piercings. Maybe you need to get out more," Troy teased, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. "If it doesn't work out and my roommate is some drug doing crazy partying tattooed and pierced guy, I promise I'll find another roommate okay?" Troy punctuated his sentence with a kiss to his mother's cheek before walking back over to his desk and pulling a few picture frames out. Setting the first on his desk, he felt a faint smile form on his face as he stared at it.

"You alright Son?"

Snapping out of his daze, Troy let go of the frame, spinning around to look at his dad. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You really miss them, huh?"

Glancing back at the framed photo, Troy nodded as he looked at the two faces smiling back at him. "Yeah, I know it's been a few years, but it still feels like just yesterday that I was over at their place, playing cards and helping them decorate for Christmas as they lectured me about getting out more." Troy laughed to himself, his mind wandering back to a few years earlier, a few days after his favorite Christmas Eve he'd yet to experience.

"_Troy, these pictures are just beautiful. Some of the best I've ever seen from you," Mrs. Walters gushed, still staring at the pictures in front of her. _

"_Thanks Mrs. W.," Troy said gratefully, a faint blush on his cheeks. _

"_I can see why you like this girl. She's very gorgeous." _

"_She is," Troy admitted, a previously rare occurrence for him. He'd never gushed about any girl or admitted what he thought about them, but Gabriella was different. "I can't really take too much credit for the pictures. I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with it just being her." _

_Joanne smiled sympathetically at Troy, her heart breaking for the young boy that she loved like her own son. In all her years, she'd never met another young person like Troy who cared so much for other people. Not many teenagers would spend a few hours a year with a couple of senior citizens at a retirement home, let alone the many hours a week Troy spent with them. That said a lot about Troy as a person, and she wanted nothing more than to see him completely happy and successful in life. _

"_Maybe she'll come back one day Troy. You said her parents traveled a lot on business right?" _

_Troy nodded, "Yeah, they do. I don't know, I asked around the past couple of days and finally found out who they met with here in town. I was told that they came to meet with Mr. Gregory about possibly purchasing some land from him for their company, but that's all I know. He seemed too busy to tell me much else, and he didn't have their number. All he had was the company's corporate number, which wouldn't do me much good he said. And he gave me their last name, 'Montez.' But that's all I know. It seemed like it wasn't a very successful meeting and he didn't care to talk about them at all. You know how people are here in town about new big corporations coming in and taking over." _

_Mrs. Walters placed her hand on Troy's shoulder, sending him a comforting smile. "Don't give up yet Troy. You're still young, and maybe you'll meet up with her one day again. Don't lose that hope alright? For me?" _

_Troy playfully rolled his eyes as the older woman tried to persuade him with a puppy dog face. "Okay Mrs. W., just for you." _

His thoughts were interrupted when Troy felt a hand squeeze his shoulder and turned his head back to see his dad standing there. "They'd both be really proud of you Son. Especially Joanne. We all know how much she loved your photos. She was probably partying up in heaven when she heard the news of you getting accepted into one of the best photography programs in the country."

"Yeah, if she wasn't busy nagging Mr. W. about laying off the carbs," Troy chuckled, recalling how much fun he had listening to the old couple playfully bicker.

"Speaking of eating right," Lucille spoke up, figuring it was the appropriate time for a mother to interrupt and properly lecture her son, "make sure you eat balanced meals here. You aren't going to have me there lecturing you to eat your vegetables."

"I know Mom," Troy laughed. Even though it got annoying sometimes how much she got onto him, Troy knew he was going to miss his mother. And he knew that she was going to miss him even more. After all, he was her eldest, and not many kids from Greensborough actually left town, let alone left the state, to go off to college. New York was definitely a different world and he could only imagine all the worry his mom would experience the first few months especially.

"Alright Lucille, we'd better get out of here if we're going to get back home at a decent time," Jack said, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist and pulling her into his side. "Troy," Jack began, holding out his hand to shake his son's, "we know you'll do great here. Be safe. And don't forget to call us every so often, although I'm sure your mom will take care of that on her end."

Troy chuckled, reaching out to shake his father's hand before pulling him into a tight hug. "Thanks Dad, for everything. I'll see you guys in a few months."

Turning towards his mom, a faint smile formed on his face, pulling her into his arms when he saw her eyes fill with tears. "Thank you too Mom. I'm going to miss you, but trust me with Kyla and Lexi bugging you to take them everywhere, you won't miss me that much."

"I love your sisters Troy, but they still can't replace my favorite son."

"I am pretty irreplaceable, huh?" Troy laughed, puffing out his chest a bit, earning a playful smack on his arm from Lucille. "I love you Mom."

"Love you too Troy," Lucille muttered through her tears, pulling her son into one more hug before releasing him and wiping away her tears.

Troy walked his parents back out to their car, saying his goodbyes and waving before walking back inside, feeling his independence for the first time. Walking back towards his room, Troy paused as he saw the door open. Stepping inside, he smiled as he saw a young guy about his age dressed in basketball shorts and a t-shirt with a huge afro busily unpacking some of his things.

Knocking lightly on the door to get his attention, Troy cleared his throat when the guy turned around. "Hey man, you must be Chad. I'm Troy."

"Hey Troy," Chad walked towards him, extending his hand for a friendly handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"You too."

The two guys walked back to their respective sides of their rooms, each continuing with their unpacking. "So where are you from?" Troy asked, breaking the silence as he pulled more items out of one of the boxes.

"I'm from here in New York, about an hour away. You?" Chad spun around to look at Troy when he didn't hear him respond, watching as he stared at a picture frame in his hands, never once looking up. "Troy?"

"Yeah?" Troy shook his head, bringing himself out of his daydream. "Sorry. Uh, I'm from Delaware…a small town called Greensborough."

"Oh, that's cool." Chad watched as Troy walked across the room, still looking at the framed picture before finally setting it on top of his dresser. "Girlfriend from back home?" Chad finally asked, gesturing towards the picture.

"What?" Troy spun back around, caught once again lost in his thoughts. "Oh, no. No girlfriend."

"Just a friend?"

Peering back at the picture, Troy felt the smile form back on his face that naturally came whenever he would think about the girl he met almost three years back or look at his pictures of her. "Yeah, a friend. I guess you could say that."

---

The sign from the diner caught Troy's eyes as he walked down the streets downtown. He'd been in New York for college for a few months now and had been craving something close to a home-cooked meal. The window-sign stating the special of 'homestyle fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and fresh apple pie' seemed like a good choice, so without hesitation, Troy crossed the street and entered the small diner and found an empty booth.

"What can I get for you darlin?"

Troy looked up from his menu, smiling at the waitress standing there. "I'd like to get the special please, and a glass of iced tea."

"Sure thing hun, I'll be right back with that."

Troy smiled, handing her his menu before letting his eyes wander around the diner. It was small and not too crowded, but then again it was a Thursday night at 10:00, so one wouldn't expect it to be packed. His eyes caught the Christmas tree in the corner and he couldn't help but feel at home a bit. He'd been greatly anticipating the holiday like every year, much to his roommate's amusement. Chad had told him that he'd never met someone so into Christmas as Troy was. Troy had decorated his side of the room early on as usual and had been talking Christmas non-stop for weeks.

If Troy was being honest, he'd have to say that was the one thing he was looking forward to the most about going back to Greensborough. Sure people in New York seemed to enjoy Christmas, but overall their Christmas spirit greatly dulled in comparison. He couldn't wait to return home the next week to see every house and building decorated, to see every streetlamp decorated with a bow and every street corner decorated with a tree. But most of all, he couldn't wait for the Christmas Eve festivities. He wouldn't miss those for anything, and there were a few reasons for that—one of the reasons was sitting in a picture frame back in his dorm room on his dresser. The words of Mrs. W. continued to ring in his ears, even though she'd passed away two years earlier. She wanted him to keep on the lookout for Gabriella and to not give up, and that was exactly what he planned to do. He knew it was a longshot, but he couldn't quite give up the hope that maybe there was something special between them and they'd cross paths again one day.

"Alright so we have the special for the evening, a side of cheese bread on the house, and a piece of apple pie," the waitress said as she sat two plates and a basket of bread in front of Troy.

"Thank you," Troy smiled brightly at the older woman, who appeared to be exhausted from a long day.

"Of course darlin," the woman smiled. "So what brings you here alone on a Thursday night?"

"I was looking for a good home-cooked meal, and this seemed like my best bet."

"College student?"

"Yes ma'am," Troy laughed as she guessed correctly.

"Ah yes, you go away for college for that independence, but after awhile, you begin to miss the little things right?"

"Oh definitely," Troy replied honestly, falling into an easy conversation with her. "I love college, but nothing replaces Mom's home cooked meals."

"Is that what you miss the most?"

"Usually, but right now, I just miss being home. Back home, this time of year is incredible. Everyone is so spirited about Christmas. Here it seems like people are too busy sometimes for it."

"Oh, I get that sweetie," the woman agreed with an emphatic nod. "Christmas is my favorite day of the year, but it seems like people miss what the holiday is all about here and just get caught up in the hustle of it all."

"Yep," Troy sighed, her words capturing exactly what he'd been feeling for the past few weeks.

"Well, since we both love the holiday so much, tell me-,"

"Troy," he supplied.

"Troy. Growing up, what was your favorite Christmas memory?"

He didn't even have to think. After all, the story had been the one he'd been sharing since the day he met her almost three years earlier, and as far as he was concerned, it would continue to be. So with a bright smile, Troy set his fork down and gestured for the woman to take a seat, prepared to tell his favorite Christmas story once more.

---

"Are you sure you don't want to spend winter break with us man? After all, it's our senior year. We're gonna be in New York City to watch the ball drop."

Troy shook his head at his friend's offer. "Sorry Zeke. I appreciate the offer, but my family would be so disappointed if I wasn't around for the break. They're already giving me crap every time I call for skipping out on Thanksgiving to go down to Florida with you guys. I haven't seen them since summer, so I have to go back."

"But dude, we're going to be going to the Knicks and Lakers game on Christmas Eve! It's going to be so amazing! How can you pass that up?" Chad protested, putting some clothes into his suitcase as he finished packing for break.

Troy laughed at his roommate who'd become his best friend. "Sorry Chad. As great as going to the game sounds, I can't possibly pass up Christmas Eve in Greensborough. You know that."

"Ohhh, I get what this is about," Zeke drawled out with a smirk. "It's about the infamous Gabriella, right?"

"Not entirely," Troy said sheepishly, trying to busy himself with packing and avoid the teasing looks from his friends.

"Oh yes it is," Chad agreed, picking the photo up off of Troy's dresser and carrying it over to Troy, holding it out in front of his face. "Look her in the eye and say it's not."

Swiping the picture from his friend who was now laughing, Troy placed the frame back in its rightful place, his eyes catching the beautiful picture of the young Gabriella who had somehow captured his heart in one night, years ago. "It's _not entirely_ about her," Troy repeated. "Make fun of me all you want, but there's something incredible about being in Greensborough on Christmas Eve…being there for all the festivities. I can't miss it."

"We get it man," Chad told him seriously, his laughter subsiding. "We'll miss you being there, but I promise that I will wave to you on TV if we make it on there."

"I'll keep an eye out," Troy chuckled, thinking about how much of a fool his best friend might actually make of himself if he was on camera. "Alright guys," Troy sighed, zipping up his bag and swinging it over his shoulder, "have a great Christmas and I'll see you after the break."

"Alright man," Zeke stood up, giving Troy a high five and pulling him into a short hug. "Have a great break."

"Thanks Zeke, you too."

"Merry Christmas Troy," Chad said as he exchanged a high five and then a hug with him.

"Merry Christmas guys!"

With that, Troy waved goodbye and exited his dorm room, his car keys in hand and his bag swung over his shoulder as he made his way to his car.

Five minutes later after calling his family to let them know he was on his way home, Troy turned up his Christmas music that he planned on listening to for the long drive back. As he drove down the highway, Troy squinted at a car in the distance. He couldn't tell for sure if they were in their own lane or if they were in his lane passing another car as the visibility wasn't that great. Gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter, Troy felt his breath catch in his throat as he realized that in fact the car was coming straight at him and he had little time to react. Quickly, Troy swerved the wheel to the right, cursing as his car hit a bump and went flying through the air, landing on the ground with a huge thud and rolling a few times before finally coming to a stop as everything went black for Troy.

* * *

**AN: I know! I know! I'm cruel and you probably all want to kill me right now. But if it's any consolation, you will get another update tomorrow, or today I guess lol since it is the early morning for me. Either way, the update isn't too far off. **


	5. Holding His Hand

**AN: Thanks everyone who is reading this story. I really appreciate it and I'm sorry this wasn't out sooner today. There are only a couple more chapters left after this one! **

**Chapter 5**

"_Sweetie, I told you before, we can't stay here, I'm sorry." _

_Gabriella held back tears as she looked at both of her parents who were standing in her room, bags in hand ready to leave. "It's Christmas though! It's bad enough that you both had to go to a meeting last night, but now we can't even spend the one day together of the year that we should. Even families who hate each other are together on Christmas!" _

"_But we will be together," Mrs. Montez persisted, trying her best to convince her distraught teenage daughter. "We have the whole car ride there, and then after our meeting we'll have Christmas dinner together, I promise." _

"_Yeah, but most of the day I'll be stuck in a hotel room by myself. Can't you just postpone your meeting until tomorrow and we just stay here one more day?" _

_Sensing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere, Mr. Montez stepped in. "Gabriella, we are sorry that we have to do all this business and we haven't been able to spend much time with you. But this is a very important meeting and we can't miss it. Now please get ready because we need to leave. We are going to go put these things in the car and we'll be back in five minutes to get you." _

_Five minutes. Just great. She had been looking forward to Christmas morning all night, barely able to sleep as her mind raced with thoughts of the previous night and the great time she'd had with Troy. And he was planning on stopping by! She could only imagine how disappointed he'd be to find her gone. She had to do something. She couldn't just leave him hanging like that, not knowing where she went and why she left. _

_After quickly throwing her stuff in her bag, Gabriella pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen, trying to formulate her thoughts the best way she could and jot them down in a way that wouldn't make Troy hate her. Why did the meeting have to be so early in the day? If only they could stick around long enough for her to see Troy one last time. She couldn't believe that after such a rare, amazing night she had to leave it all behind. She needed to at least let him know that she had no idea this would happen and let him know what the night meant to her. _

_Struggling to write down her thoughts in an eloquent manner that didn't sound too hurried or rushed, Gabriella started writing to him only to be interrupted. "Gabriella, let's go! If we're going to make it to New York on time we need to leave now." Gabriella groaned, staring down at the piece of paper as she tried to block out her father's voice. "Stop writing whatever you're writing. Can't you do that on the way? We need to go check out." _

"_No I can't Dad, I need to leave this at the front desk." Gabriella told him, feeling tears prick her eyes as she began to get flustered. _

"_Alright sweetie, well can you finish writing it downstairs? We can't check out until we're all out of the room." _

"_Okay, I'm coming," Gabriella sighed, giving in. _

_Gathering her things, she handed her bag to her dad before picking up her half-written letter and following him downstairs. Once they arrived at the front desk, Gabriella quickly finished her letter, feeling more tears burn her eyes as she let him know how much the night meant to her and that she'd miss him, the whole evening especially their dance and kiss replaying in her mind while she scribbled her thoughts. _

_Finally finishing, she carefully folded up the letter putting it in an envelope the man at the front desk had given her, before handing it to him and asking that he'd give it to Troy when he stopped by. Wiping away a stray tear, Gabriella watched as the older man gave her a sympathetic smile and promised to give it to him, placing it on the desk. _

_Ten minutes later, Gabriella sat in the backseat of her parents' car, watching as the sign stating 'Now Leaving Greensborough' flew by. Looking down in her hands, she ran her fingers over the filmstrip that had the pictures of her and Troy from the previous night. It was the only tangible thing she could hold onto from their evening together. Staring at the picture of Troy kissing her cheek, Gabriella forgot all about her trip to New York, completely drowning out her parents' conversation in the front seat as she recalled the way his lips felt against hers. _

Twenty-one year old Gabriella Montez let the slightly worn filmstrip fall from her fingers back to its place on her dresser, snapping out of her thoughts. It was only a week until Christmas Eve, and like every other Christmas season, she was busy reminiscing and remembering her favorite Christmas memory. Sure, it had been almost seven years since that night. But the evening was still very vivid in her memory. It didn't matter to her that her friends and family often rolled their eyes at her. She'd admit that it did seem a little strange that a twenty-one year old woman would still be holding onto a night that most would classify as an insignificant high school crush. But those people just didn't understand. There had been something different about Troy and their connection. She couldn't put her finger on it or even begin to explain it, but that night still meant as much to her now as it did all those years before.

"Thinking about the famous Troy huh?"

Gabriella spun around, smiling at her roommate Sharpay, a flamboyant blonde who at first glance seemed completely incompatible on a friendship level with Gabriella. The two had met in a college class Freshman year, and despite their many differences, something drew them together and they'd been roommates ever since.

"Maybe," Gabriella answered shyly, glancing at the photo once more before spinning around to smile at Sharpay. "What's up?"

"Just checking to make sure you don't want to come out with all of us tonight."

Gabriella smiled at the offer, but shook her head. "Nah, I promised someone I'd pick up their shift tonight at the hospital."

"You're such a workaholic Gabi. It is almost Christmas you know. You should be taking a break."

"I will," Gabriella promised, "but I need to get as many hours in as I can for medical school next year. Thank you for the offer though."

"Okay, you're sure though right? I mean, from what I hear there are going to be some pretty good looking guys going with us tonight. Maybe you'll find someone you'll like."

"I'm good, thank you though Sharpay," Gabriella assured her. "Have fun tonight!"

"Alright Gabi, you too. Bye!"

Gabriella listened as she made her way through the apartment before closing the front door. Glancing at the time, she hurriedly grabbed her coat and keys before running out the door. She needed to get to work.

---

"Evening Gabriella!"

Gabriella smiled at one of the other nurses as they walked by her, before she headed to the nurses' station, ready to get her assignments for the evening. She was in her last year at college before going to medical school, but she had already been working at the hospital for over a year to gain some experience.

After figuring out which rooms she was assigned to for the evening, Gabriella busied herself with her evening tasks, taking some time to visit with a few familiar faces. She loved Christmas time, but it always saddened her to see people alone for the holidays. So she always made it a point to be extra friendly and bring some holiday cheer where she could.

Looking down at the chart in her hand, she smiled as she saw the familiar name. Susan Turner had been in the hospital for a couple of months now. A widow with no children, she rarely had visitors and tonight was no exception. Pushing open the door, Gabriella let her smile grow, deciding she'd spend some time with the older lady as she had some available.

"Mrs. Turner! How are you doing tonight?"

The older woman turned her head towards the doorway, her face lighting up when she saw Gabriella. "Gabriella sweetheart! I'm doing just fine, how about you?"

"I'm great! Just making my rounds, but I saw your name here and thought I'd spend some time with my favorite patient."

"On a Friday night? Shouldn't you be out with friends, or out with some guy? Not sitting here with some boring old lady like me."

"Are you kidding Mrs. Turner? You are far from boring!"

"I don't know about that sweetie. Enough about me though. Let's talk about you being here on a Friday night. There has to be some guy in your life. Don't tell me a pretty girl like yourself is single." Mrs. Turner protested.

Gabriella just shook her head, sitting down in the seat next to her bed. "Nope, no guy."

"What about your friends or family? Aren't you on break from school?"

Gabriella nodded, "My friends are all out tonight going to a club I think, but I wasn't interested. And my parents are way too busy with work."

"Even around Christmas?"

Gabriella nodded once more. "It's always been that way. Christmas has always been pretty dull for me. My parents are always working and as a kid, I was always with them on their business trips. I can't even really remember being at home around the holidays."

"So you never had any really memorable Christmases then?"

"Well, there was one," Gabriella admitted, a reflexive smile forming on her face as she recalled the memory once more.

Mrs. Turner grinned, happy to see her excitement and eager to know what it was about. "And?"

"You sure you have time for this?"

"Hunny, I've got all the time in the world," Mrs. Turner said, waving her hesitation off.

"Alright, well, when I was fifteen years old…"

---

Gabriella walked out of Mrs. Turner's room, much more spirited than she was before. Re-telling the story of meeting Troy never failed to put her in a Christmas mood and bring out the romantic side of her. Even though the end of the story always brought back painful memories, overall, the good memories outweighed the bad. She wouldn't ever wish that she hadn't met Troy because that night meant so much to her.

"Hey Gabriella?"

Gabriella looked up out of her momentary daze. "Yeah Tiffany?" She responded, walking over to another nurse who was seated at the nursing station.

"Room 1520, we have a male patient just out of surgery. He's still asleep from the anesthesia, but we need someone to go check on him. Can you take it? If he wakes up, let him know his family has been contacted and is on the way to see him. They are coming from some town in Delaware. They said it'd be a few hours."

"Sure thing," Gabriella nodded, taking his chart before making her way down the hall. Stopping outside of the room, Gabriella glanced at the chart for the first time, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the name.

Making her way back to the nurse station, Gabriella took a deep breath, standing there for a few moments before finally gaining the courage to ask her burning question. "Hey Tiffany?"

"Yeah?" Tiffany replied, spinning around in her chair to face a very nervous looking Gabriella.

"What town did they say they were coming from?"

"Greensborough? Have you heard of it?"

It couldn't be. Gabriella could only nod, unable to say anything. What were the chances that it'd be him? But then again what were the chances of there being that many people from Greensborough with his same name?

"Thanks," Gabriella finally managed, staring back down at the chart as she walked towards the room slowly. There was only one way to find out. Pushing open the door, Gabriella barely peered in, unsure of how she'd react if it actually was him. And if it was, what kind of state was he in? What had happened? He obviously wasn't doing great since he was in the hospital.

Finally finding the courage, Gabriella took a few more steps into the room, her eyes finally glancing over the young man in the bed, her heart nearly stopping when she saw him. He had a huge gash over his right eye and his face was completely bruised. His head was bandaged and his right arm was in a cast, but it was him. Bloodied and bruised, but still it was him. He looked more muscular, definitely much more mature. Yet it was still the same boy who'd captured her heart all those years ago.

She didn't know what to feel, or what to do. She'd never really expected to meet him again, let alone in New York in a hospital. What were the chances? But there he was. And he was obviously going to be in some pain and be confused when he woke up. She was pretty sure he'd be even more confused when he saw it was her, if he even remembered her. How she hoped he would remember her. She had to know. She couldn't possibly pass up this opportunity. She'd regretted that Christmas Day for years, wishing that she would have been smart enough at the time to remember to leave her number or address or some way for him to contact her. But she'd let the opportunity slip by. Not this time.

With a deep breath, Gabriella made her way around the side of his bed, taking a seat in the chair next to it. She couldn't help but just stare at him as he laid there. She wondered if he was still the same. If he was still as sweet and friendly as he was those years ago. If he still had that great obsession for Christmas. She wondered what he was doing in New York…what had brought him there. She wondered if he was engaged or married, if he was still into photography…if he had kept their pictures.

Suddenly as she was lost in her thoughts, she heard a low groan and saw him beginning to stir. Unable to resist or even take a second to think about what she was doing, Gabriella reached out and took his hand that was lying there, holding it tightly in hers.

Feeling his hand squeeze hers and hearing him clear his throat softly, Gabriella finally looked up and her breath caught in her throat as she saw his blue eyes staring back at her.


	6. Spirits Were High

**AN: Wow, I'm making these early morning updates a trend haha. Sorry to everyone who hated me for the last few cliffhangers. Hopefully this chapter is better. The good news is that the story is going to be a chapter or so longer than I originally thought. This chapter was getting way too long and had to be split into two. What can I say, Troyella fluff causes me to write and write and not stop? lol. So that is hopefully good news for you all, and a hopefully it's a bit of a hint for this chapter. Enjoy! **

**Chapter 6**

His head was pounding. He was in a complete haze. His body was completely stiff. He had absolutely no clue where he was. He couldn't remember anything after he'd swerved off the road and flipped his car on his drive home. Trying to stretch a bit, Troy groaned as he moved his arm. Suddenly he could swear that he felt a hand grab hold of his. Now he really didn't know where he was.

Cracking his eye open, Troy winced again, the bright lights causing his head to hurt even more. Trying not to open his eyes too quickly, Troy looked around the room, realizing he was in the hospital. Finally when his eyes had readjusted, Troy let his eyes wander over to see who it was that was holding his hand. As his eyes drifted up her body to her face, he began to think he was dreaming, or just imagining it. The woman's profile looked like Gabriella, a little older of course, but still the same. Yet it couldn't possibly be. There'd been dozens of times his mind had played tricks on him, and this had to be one of those times. After all, he was in the hospital on various medications, and he knew he'd probably suffered a few head injuries from the pain he was currently experiencing. That was probably it. Just wishful thinking that it was her. But he had to know. If only she'd look up at him.

Deciding he couldn't wait any longer, Troy gently squeezed her hand that was in his and softly cleared his throat, pausing halfway through as her eyes connected with his. Now he really had to be dreaming. It was her. Her hair was a bit longer, she looked a little older, but it was definitely her. All he could think of was she'd gotten so much more beautiful. And suddenly, he couldn't speak. He wanted to, but no words were coming out. Looking at her, it appeared she was experiencing a similar problem.

Wanting to get closer to her, Troy quickly tried to sit up more. Bad idea. The pain made itself known full force causing Troy to wince and bring his hand up to his head.

"Are you okay?"

Troy blinked his eyes at the sound of her voice, and felt his heart warm when she sprung up from her seat, her hand gently squeezing his hand back while her other hand settled lightly on his upper arm, as worry took over her features. "Let me get you something because I'm sure you're in a lot of pain. I'll be right back."

Unable to do anything except nod since he still couldn't find his voice, Troy tried to smile at her and watched as she hurried herself out of the room, his hand suddenly feeling empty without hers in it.

Seconds later, she returned—a glass of water in one hand and a bottle with pain medicine in the other. "Here, take these."

Offering her a small grin as thanks, Troy took the items from her, allowing her to help him sit up before downing the medication.

Gabriella placed a few pillows behind him before stepping back, watching the guy she still couldn't believe was in front of her and having absolutely no clue what to say or do. Her nurse instincts kicking in, Gabriella went for the obvious thing to say, knowing he probably had little clue as to what had happened to him. "I don't know how much you remember, but I was told you were in a pretty bad accident. Your right arm was broken and the doctors performed minor surgery on it which was successful. You also suffered a concussion from what I was told and have a few gashes on your head. Hopefully that medicine will kick in fast for you though and help you with any pain. Do you need anything else?"

Troy shook his head, taking another sip of water and softly clearing his throat once more. "No, thank you."

The two just stared at each other, both dying to say more but not really knowing how to start off the conversation. Both had hoped for this day, but as time went on, the probability of it occurring continued to lessen. Yet here they were, and both were completely silent.

Not able to take it anymore, Troy finally gained the courage and asked what was on his mind. "So, it's really you, right? Gabriella? I'm not just dreaming or you're not a long lost twin or something?"

Gabriella couldn't help but giggle at his last question. "No, it's me."

"Really?" Troy asked, a hopeful expression on his face which grew into a smile when Gabriella eagerly nodded. "I can't believe it."

"Me either," Gabriella echoed, both of them now wearing matching grins.

"You know, since that day-," Troy stopped as the door to his room swung open, the eye contact breaking between them for the first time in minutes.

"Troy! Dude, thank God you're alright man! I got a call from your mom who said she was on her way here. She told me what happened, and asked me to come down here for awhile." Of course it was Chad. Troy smiled at his friend, his grin fading a bit when he saw Gabriella now looked very uncomfortable and had moved to the opposite side of the room. "Anyways, I brought you some stuff to make you feel at home, since I didn't know how long you'd be here."

Chad walked over to one of the chairs in the room, plopping his backpack down on it before he began to dig through it. "I brought you some magazines, some contraband candy…'cause we both know that hospital food is not that great…some decorations," Chad continued, pulling out a small snow globe, a stocking, and a wreath before setting them down on the bedside table. "Your Christmas obsession confuses me sometimes and quite frankly it also scares me from time to time, but I knew you'd be a crabby old man if you were stuck in here for a few days without any decorations to strengthen your Christmas spirit. And," Chad added, pulling out a few picture frames, "some of your photos, including the ones of your special Christmas Eve crush since we both know how much you fawn over those, especially during this time of year."

Not even watching Chad, who was oblivious to the third person in the room as he was busily placing the few decorations up in the room and setting the picture frames on the table, Troy looked over at Gabriella. He had seen her head perk up at the mention of 'Christmas Eve crush'. Now as Chad stepped away from in front of the frames, Troy watched as Gabriella's eyes settled on the pictures and felt his heart speed up when he heard her soft gasp. Well, so much for him trying to find a way to tell her that their night those seven years back meant something to him too. If she didn't know before, it was fairly obvious now.

Gabriella couldn't stop looking at the frame that Troy's crazy-haired friend had placed on the table. Inside were a few pictures of her from that night that she'd never seen, and sitting inside the frame were the letter she'd written and the filmstrip of photos they'd taken. He'd kept it all. And not only had he kept it, but it obviously meant a lot to him. After all, his friend had brought it to him at the hospital to make him feel at home.

"Oh hi, I'm sorry. I didn't even realize someone else was in here." Gabriella snapped out of her thoughts and tore her gaze away reluctantly from the photos to Troy's friend who was now looking at her. What was she doing? Gabriella scolded herself. She was supposed to be working and she certainly wasn't needed now that Troy's friend had shown up.

"It's okay, I was just going," Gabriella said quickly, shaking her head to focus her thoughts on what she should be doing. "Troy, do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm okay," Troy shook his head, struggling to find what to say. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted to talk to her and they were just about to. He could feel it. Stupid best friends ruining everything. "But really, you don't have to go-,"

"No, I do," Gabriella interrupted. "I have other rooms to get to, but just go ahead and buzz if you need anything."

"Okay," Troy sighed reluctantly, realizing her mind was made up. "Will you be back by later?"

A surprised smile took over her features, not really expecting him to ask that, and her smile in turn caused one to appear on his face. Immediately butterflies erupted in her stomach, recognizing the hopefulness in his tone and smile. How did he do that to her? "Yeah, I'll stop by to check on you a bit later."

"Alright, thank you Gabriella," Troy said, his smile growing as a blush settled in on her face, neither one of them aware of the confused look on Chad's face.

"Bye Troy."

Troy continued to stare at the door even after she'd left, still not fully believing all that had happened. A loud clearing of the throat brought Troy back to reality. "Dude, what was that?"

"Huh?"

"Who was that?" Chad clarified.

"That was Gabriella."

"You know her?"

Troy nodded, "So do you."

"What, where from?" Troy reached over with his good hand, picking up the picture frame and flipping it around to show Chad. "That was her!?"

"Yeah."

"She works here?"

"Apparently."

"And she ended up randomly as your nurse."

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"I know."

The two were silent for a few moments, before Chad finally exploded. "So what are you still doing sitting in that freaking bed man?"

"Huh?"

"For almost four years…FOUR YEARS…I've listened to you talk about her, seen you look at her pictures and read over her letter that she wrote you seven years ago, and yet here you are…you finally meet her, and you let her walk out of your room. What the heck is wrong with you man?"

"Dude, in case you forgot I was in a car accident today. I can't really move right now."

"Well then, quick. Buzz her back in here or something. Tell her you need medicine."

"She just gave me medicine," Troy answered while rolling his eyes at his friend.

"Tell her you need your bedpan changed."

"I don't have a bedpan."

"I can go get you one."

"That's disgusting Chad. And quite the way to woo a woman too. Please tell me how you are still single."

"I know right? It beats me," Chad said seriously, not sensing Troy's sarcastic tone as he plopped down in the chair. "Fine, if you aren't going to get her back in here, at least tell me what happened. How the heck did she end up in here with you? She lives here?"

"I guess so," Troy replied, still just as amazed and completely confused with the whole situation. "I mean, what are the chances right? I don't even know much except that I woke up and she was sitting here holding my hand. I need to talk to her, but for awhile I didn't even know what to say. I know Mrs. W. always told me to not give up on her, but I didn't really see it randomly happening like this."

"Yeah," Chad agreed, letting the silence settle in for a moment. "So what are you going to say?"

Troy shook his head, the question being posed that he'd been thinking about since he first saw her holding his hand. "I have absolutely no clue."

---

A few hours later, Troy laid in his hospital bed, the TV playing Sportscenter in the background, although he was paying little attention to it. His family had arrived about an hour after Chad did, his mother tearing up as she showered him with hugs and kisses before finally scolding him for making her worry so much. They'd stayed through visiting hours before leaving for a hotel for the night, promising to return in the morning and see him before possibly heading back to Greensborough. Troy had been informed by his doctor that he'd be released most likely at some point the next day as long as no complications arose through the night. So now, Troy sat alone in his room, his thoughts not on his own condition, his family, or Christmas. All he could think about was Gabriella and what he was going to say to her.

He didn't know when she'd be back by, but he figured it would be soon. He hoped so at least. He was going to fight off sleep as long as possible because he was not about to let another opportunity with her pass him by. Since the moment his family and Chad had left, Troy had been staring at his pictures of her and reading over her letter. Their Christmas Eve seven years ago had been playing on a loop in his head the entire time. It was all so vivid in his memory, and he could only hope it was the same for her.

Hearing a light knock on the door before it gently creaked open, Troy felt like his heart stopped for a moment. Seeing her step inside, his heart began to race. He felt so elated that she had kept her promise and had stopped by again. Sure, it was part of her job, but for the moment Troy was going to disregard that and hope that there were other reasons for her promising to stop back in.

"Hi Troy, how are you feeling?"

"Great," Troy replied honestly, setting the picture frame back on the table as he smiled at her. "Better now that you came back."

"Well, I did tell you I would," Gabriella said as her cheeks heated up.

"When does your shift get over?"

"Actually, it ends in a couple of minutes. Do you need anything? Water? Food? Medicine? Books?"

"I do need something actually," Troy interrupted, touched at how caring she was. "It's not any of those, but thank you for the offer."

"You sure?" Troy nodded. "What do you need then?"

Troy brought his good hand up to scratch the back of his neck, his nervous habit kicking in. "Well, I was wondering if you had the time to stay and talk for awhile?"

"Sure, I can stay. But I should really let you get some rest."

Troy shook his head at her suggestion. "I'm fine, I'm not that tired. Really, I can't pass up another chance to talk with you. Please?" Troy asked once more, gesturing to the seat next to the bed.

Giving in, Gabriella nodded and made her way over there, taking a seat. The moment she sat down, Troy decided to just throw caution to the wind and get it over with. There was no use in small talk anymore or beating around the bush. He had to tell her more about how much that night meant to him and still did, and see if she felt the same. He couldn't go to sleep without knowing.

"Listen, we got interrupted earlier by my friend with the worst timing in the world, but what I was trying to say was that night with you meant so much to me. All these years, I've had this letter from you and I knew that back then at least, the night meant a lot to you. But I never got to share that with you, and I just wanted you to know that. It's probably fairly obvious, since I have these pictures still with me. Hopefully you don't think I'm a creep for it-," Troy said, beginning to ramble.

"I still have my filmstrip too Troy," Gabriella interrupted, her cheeks tinting pink in embarrassment.

"You do?"

"Mhmm, it's sitting on my dresser in my room."

Troy chuckled a bit, the environment in the room becoming more relaxing now that they were able to talk and open up to each other.

"I can't believe you kept the letter."

"Like I said, the night meant a lot to me. And the letter was the one tangible thing I had to show me you felt the same."

Gabriella smiled, her eyes trailing over to look at the letter for a few seconds before they caught the pictures sitting there, allowing herself to take a better look at them. "Those were for you," Troy spoke softly.

"For me?" Gabriella asked, looking at him curiously.

"Yeah. That night, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about seeing you the next day, and how I had to give you something. After all, it was Christmas. The only thing I could give you were pictures. So I stayed up that night developing the film and printing a few off for you, so you'd have them. I knew you'd said you wanted to see some of my photos, and I thought this was a good way to do that."

Gabriella felt her jaw drop slightly at his admission. "You stayed up all night making these for me?"

"Yeah," Troy admitted shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know they aren't much, but it was all I could-,"

"Are you kidding me Troy? These pictures are gorgeous!" Gabriella gushed.

"My thoughts exactly," Troy muttered to himself under his breath while he looked at the picture of Gabriella by the fire.

Gabriella blushed and felt butterflies erupt once more hearing his words she was sure he didn't plan for her to catch. "Well thank you so much for even thinking of giving these to me Troy."

"Of course. In fact," Troy said as he reached over and removed the filmstrip and letter before picking up the frame and handing it to her, "this is yours."

"Troy, I can't take your pictures," Gabriella protested.

"Gabriella, they are your pictures. Always have been. Please take them."

Smiling widely at him, Gabriella finally took the frame in her hands. "Thank you Troy. And listen, I know I explained it sort of in that letter, but I'm so sorry that I wasn't there when you came. Ever since that day I regretted not leaving my phone number or address. Some intelligent high school student I was, huh? I was so rushed that the thought didn't even cross my mind. I hope you know though that I was completely devastated that we had to leave, and I tried my best to stay," Gabriella explained all in a rush, stopping when she saw Troy smiling at her.

"I know Ella," the nickname fell from his lips, causing him to worry about her reaction, the worry quickly leaving though when he saw her cheeks blush. "So how long have you been in New York for?"

"Almost four years. You?"

"Same."

Gabriella shook her head in amusement, "All these years, I've been wondering about you, hoping I'd maybe meet you again by some small chance and here you were in the same city."

"What are the odds?" Troy wondered aloud, both of them grinning at each other for what seemed like the thousandth time that night. "So have you been going to school for nursing?"

"No, I'm going to medical school next year. But nursing has helped me to gain a lot of experience. What about you? What are you in New York for?"

"I'm in a photography program here."

"Really?" Troy nodded. "Wow, congratulations Troy! If your pictures from when you were fifteen are this good, I can't imagine how much more talented you've gotten."

"Thanks," Troy said shyly, blushing a bit. "So since you're working tonight, does that mean you're going home for Christmas in the next couple of days?"

Gabriella shook her head, causing Troy to frown, looking a little confused. "I'm not going home for Christmas. My parents are still the same way they were all those years ago. They have absolutely no time for me or Christmas," Gabriella told him honestly, falling right back into the same comfort level with him she'd experienced all those years ago. Still he had that effect on her where she felt like she could tell him almost anything.

Troy felt his heart break for her. He couldn't believe that such a wonderful girl like her still was not being treated by her parents the way she should. "What are you doing for Christmas then?"

"Probably working," Gabriella admitted. "If not, I'll be having a date with myself watching A Christmas Story on TV."

Troy didn't even have to think about it. Immediately he knew what he wanted to ask her. By some miracle, they'd ended up seeing each other again and whatever connection they'd had still seemed to be there. He'd forever regret it if he ignored it. "Well, feel free to say no, but since you have no other real plans, would you like to come back to Greensborough with me? That's where I was headed before all of this happened."

"Troy, that's really sweet of you, but I couldn't do that to you or your family."

"You wouldn't be imposing on us at all! It's horrible that you won't be able to be with your family and that you'll be otherwise alone on Christmas. If it's not too awkward or anything for you, I'd love it if you could come. Listen," Troy sighed, taking the moment to lay out his true thoughts, "I was on my way back home for Christmas, and something stopped me before I got too far, and brought me to this exact hospital and to the exact room where you'd be assigned to. Call it luck, fate, providence, whatever you want to, but we both ended up here on the same night. What are the odds? And if I'm not being too presumptuous, we both feel some sort of connection between us and now we have this second chance to get to know each other a little better. I say we take it."

He was right, Gabriella decided. The odds were so slim that they'd end up meeting again. Why after regretting it for all those years and wishing for another chance with him would she give this one up now? The opportunity was staring her right in the face. "You sure I won't be imposing?" Troy shook his head, trying to hide his grin as he felt she was caving in. "Well, at least let me drive or something."

"Let you drive?"

"Well obviously you can't," Gabriella grinned, pointing at his casted arm. "And I know your family is here, but if they drive you home, you need some way to get back. If it makes you feel any better, I promise I'm a good driver."

Troy laughed, smiling at her as his heart soared. "You make a good point. If you want to drive, then you can drive us. I'll let my parents know tomorrow when they stop by."

Gabriella smiled too, completely ecstatic as well. "I'd better let you get some sleep then. I'll go home and let my roommate know what's going on and get my things. I'll see you tomorrow."

Seeing her stand up, Troy reached out for her hand when it got close to his, taking it gently sending tingles up both of their arms. "Since we forgot to do this last time, I'm not forgetting again."

Gabriella looked at him confused, not quite catching on to what he was getting at.

"Can I get your number?"

Blushing, Gabriella nodded excitedly, quickly jotting down her number and handing it to him, boldly leaning down to brush her lips against his cheek. "Goodnight Troy. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Ella."

Both of them couldn't contain the joy on their faces in that moment as everything finally settled in. They were getting their second chance.


	7. Finally Gained the Courage

**AN: Sorry for not uploading this yesterday, but I got a little busy with New Years Eve and all. I hope everyone had an awesome New Years, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. There will be one more chapter after this one. Happy reading! **

**Chapter 7**

Gabriella stepped inside her apartment door and hung up her coat before making her way into the kitchen to make herself a cup of hot chocolate. Her heart had been fluttering ever since she'd left Troy at the hospital not more than twenty minutes earlier. She still was pinching herself. After all of these years, she'd finally seen him again. And she was wearing ugly teal scrubs, just great. She couldn't believe that she'd spent years hoping to see him and when she finally did, she was at work in scrubs.

But if she was honest with herself, she really didn't mind. She'd seen him, and that was all that really mattered. And now she was going to spend Christmas with him. That thought brought a huge smile to her face. She'd never expected that. Sure some people may say she didn't know him that well and it was too fast, but she didn't care. Troy was by far the sweetest guy she'd ever met, and she wasn't about to throw away a second chance at being with him.

Taking her cup of hot chocolate out of the microwave, Gabriella made her way back to her bedroom. It was past midnight, but she couldn't sleep yet. She was too anxious for the next day. Figuring she should be productive, she decided to pack a bag for when they would leave the next day.

Going into her closet, Gabriella took out a duffle bag and then placed it open on her bed before walking over to her dresser. She paused before opening her dresser, her eyes catching the filmstrip she had setting there of her and Troy. Picking it up and smiling at their young faces, Gabriella remembered the frame he'd given her earlier. Forgetting the task at hand for a moment, she ran out to the kitchen, picking the frame up off the counter and carrying it back to her room with her.

She let her finger run over the pictures as she stared at them. Each picture was so incredible. She could only imagine the talented pictures he could take now. Her eyes focused on the picture of the two of them together beside the fire and the one of them hugging while dancing, and she wasn't a bit surprised when her heart began to race. Their faces were glowing in both of the photos, their eyes shining as their cheeks were pressed closely together. And he had made this for her. That's what got to her. Knowing that Troy had taken the time to stay up all night and try to get her this gift to remember him was causing her heart to flutter. It was such a sweet gesture.

Gabriella was so focused on the pictures that she didn't hear the apartment door open, and only was aware that Sharpay had come home when she heard a knock on her door.

"Hey, what's that?" Sharpay asked, walking over to her and looking at the photo frame, immediately recognizing Troy. "Where'd you get that?"

Setting the frame back on the table, Gabriella smiled at her. "I kind of have a confession…"

"Okay…"

"Tonight at work, a guy was brought in who was in an accident, and I was assigned to the room. It was Troy."

"Your Troy?"

"Mhmm," the mention of Troy being hers making Gabriella giddy, "apparently he's been in New York for years going to school here. His roommate brought a few things to the hospital for him to feel at home, and one of the things he brought was this frame. He told me he'd made it that night after we met and planned to give it to me the next day."

"And he kept it all these years?" Sharpay asked, her tone revealing her excitement for her friend. "Gabriella, please tell me you are seeing him again!"

"I am. Actually, that's part of what I wanted to tell you," Gabriella admitted shyly, nervously fiddling with some items on her dresser, "Troy asked me what I was doing for Christmas, and when I told him I had no plans and wouldn't be with my family, he offered for me to go home with him for Christmas."

Sharpay's jaw dropped before she suddenly grabbed Gabriella on her shoulders, turning Gabriella so she could look at her, "You mean to tell me that the guy you've been pining after for years was at your hospital tonight, and you were assigned to be his nurse, and he asked you to go home with him for Christmas?" Nodding, Gabriella could barely control her glee. "Please tell me you said yes Gabriella. Tell me you said yes!!" Sharpay nearly yelled, shaking Gabriella's shoulders back and forth.

"I did," Gabriella smiled shyly.

"YES!!" Sharpay squealed, pulling Gabriella into a tight hug.

"Sharpay, can't breathe-," Gabriella breathed out with a strained voice, taking a deep breath when Sharpay finally released her.

"Sorry Gabi, I'm just so happy for you! Are you packing?"

"I was about to."

"Well let's get going! We have to figure out what you're going to wear!" Sharpay clapped her hands excitedly, immediately dashing over to Gabriella's closet and pulling out a few clothes to throw on the bed. Gabriella rolled her eyes and made her way over to help Sharpay out. It was going to be a long night.

---

Troy shook his head amusedly as he watched Gabriella quickly hop up out of her car and run around to open up the passenger door. She'd arrived at the hospital around 11:00 AM that morning and had made sure he was okay and ready to check out before rushing downstairs to pull her car up to the curb, promising to meet him there. It was impossible to miss the pure excitement on both of their faces. In fact, the excitement on Troy's face is partially what helped him convince his parents to let him drive home with her. His mom, of course, was worried about him, but he promised her that he was in good hands, reminding his mom that Gabriella was a nurse.

"You ready?"

"Yeah," Troy answered without hesitation, placing his hand in hers when she offered it to him, leaning forward as she placed her arm around his waist and helped to lift him up out of the wheelchair that the hospital insisted he leave in.

Gabriella carefully placed her arm around Troy, being sure to not put too much pressure to any of his wounds while she helped him into her car. Leaving the wheelchair with the other nurse who was there who'd helped Troy outside, Gabriella shut Troy's door and tried not to run around the front of the car at the risk of appearing too happy for their trip.

Opening her door, she nearly hopped inside. "And here we go."

"Um Ella?" Troy spoke up softly, a crooked smile on his face as he looked at her, wondering if she'd realize she was missing something, or rather, he was missing something.

"Yeah Troy?"

"I kinda need some help getting my seatbelt on," Troy confessed, nodding his head towards his casted arm before grinning back at her.

"Oh my gosh!" Gabriella cried out, mortified that she'd forget that he couldn't do that on his own. "I'm so sorry Troy," Gabriella apologized as she quickly unbuckled her own seatbelt and hurried around the car to his side.

"It's okay Ella," Troy chuckled.

"No, it's not," Gabriella persisted, lecturing herself. "You have a broken arm that you clearly can't use very well, and yet here I am, nearly oblivious to that." Taking his seatbelt, Gabriella leaned over him, being careful not to squish his arm at all as she buckled him in.

"Ella," he whispered her name reverently, getting her attention as she turned to look at him, still leaning over his seat. "Don't beat yourself up alright? This means a lot to me that you are coming with me back home, and I'm really grateful for all you've done so far for me."

Gabriella's cheeks tinted pink, the sincerity in his voice and in his eyes causing her to blush. A smile crept on her face and his own smile mirrored it, the two getting lost in each other's eyes for a moment before the sound of a horn honking startled them.

Reluctantly, Gabriella pushed herself up off of the seat and walked back over to her side, sliding into her seat and buckling up before starting the engine once more. "Now, here we go," Gabriella giggled, putting the car in gear and pulling out on the street.

--

Over three hours later, the two finally pulled into Greensborough city limits. They had been talking non-stop since they'd left, and there had hardly been a moment of silence as they jumped from subject to subject as if they were old friends. The awkward shyness from when they were teens and uncertain of what subjects to bring up was gone as they discussed everything from family to school to interests to their futures.

"Take a left up here," Troy directed while they drove through the outskirts of town and neared downtown.

"It's starting to look a little familiar," Gabriella laughed, trying to recall what things looked like all those years before when she was there.

"Yeah, well once we get closer to the actual town, you should recognize a bit more. Hey, do you have some time? Would you mind if we take a quick detour before we get to my house?"

Gabriella giggled more, and Troy looked at her curiously, not seeing what was funny. "Troy, do I have time? I'm spending my Christmas break with you and I know absolutely no one in this town except you. I have all the time in the world right now."

"Oh right," Troy said, his face reddening a bit as he realized his mistake. "Okay, I just wanted to make a short stop before going to my house. There are a couple of people that I want you to meet. Don't worry," Troy continued, seeing her grow nervous as she began to tap her fingers on the center console, placing his hand over hers, "you have nothing to be nervous about, okay?"

"Okay," Gabriella agreed, unable to resist his reassuring smile.

"Turn right here," Troy directed again, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb as he continued to try and soothe her.

Pulling up to their destination, Gabriella glanced over curiously at Troy. "The cemetery?"

Troy nodded. "Every time I come back, this is my first stop. Come on," Troy told her, reaching over to open his door, touched when he heard her car door slam and saw her at his side in seconds, helping him out of the car.

With her arm wrapped tightly around his waist and his good arm resting over her shoulders, the two began to walk down the sidewalk of the small cemetery, finally stopping a few moments later. Gabriella felt his arm slip from her shoulders, so reluctantly, she let her hand slip from around his waist, keeping it placed gently on his lower back while she helped him sit down in front of the grave.

Once he was seated, Troy cocked his head up to look at Gabriella and reached up to take her hand. "Take a seat," he told her softly, helping her sit down. "Gabriella, this is Mr. and Mrs. W.; Mr. and Mrs. W., this is Gabriella," Troy introduced, still holding onto Gabriella's hand and casually slipping his fingers through hers.

"Hi," she said shyly, uncertain of who they were, but knowing they meant a great deal to Troy even though he hadn't mentioned them before.

"Mr. and Mrs. W. were really good friends of mine. I met them when I was younger and spent most of my teenage years with the two of them. They passed away before I went away for school in New York. But, they're still just as important to me as they were all those years ago, so I make it a point to always visit them. In fact, they were the ones who encouraged me to go to the Christmas Eve festivities that night. And Mrs. W. was the one who kept telling me after you'd left to never give up hope and keep looking for you. So," Troy added with a small laugh, "she'd probably come back and haunt me or something if I forgot to bring you by and introduce you to her."

Gabriella laughed with him, taking her other hand to rub Troy's forearm in a comforting manner. "They sound like amazing people Troy. I'm sorry I never got to meet them."

"Me too," Troy admitted, glancing at their headstones before looking back at Gabriella. "It's funny, you know? They have a similar story to us. They both met one night at a dance in town during Christmas time, and Mr. W. asked her to dance, she said yes, and the two never looked back. I mean, it's not exactly like ours since they actually weren't apart for seven years after their dance before meeting again," Troy laughed as Gabriella giggled. "But for them, they met randomly and danced one night in this small town, immediately clicked and they knew they had something special."

"That is kind of like us," Gabriella agreed, leaning a bit closer to Troy when he began to stroke her palm with his fingers.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Troy prayed for a bit of courage, hoping that he could go through with what he wanted to do in that moment, and hoping it would go smoothly. "Ella," Troy breathed her name out softly, smiling gently at her when she looked at him curiously, "ever since that night I've regretted something. I know now that I couldn't have done much then as we were only in high school, lived so far apart, and had only known each other for a few hours, but still I felt regret. I've never met anyone else like you in my life. There's been no other girl that I've ever felt so comfortable with and just felt like we had something special like I do with you. I know it's crazy because we haven't spent a whole lot of time with each other, but when I'm around you, I just get this sense that there's a great potential for us. You know, when I said earlier that Mrs. W. would come out of her grave and haunt me if I didn't bring you here, I left out that she'd also come out of her grave and haunt me if I didn't ask you what I'm about to….would you go out on a date with me tonight?"

Troy's question rung out in the silence, his hopeful eyes gazing into Gabriella's trying to read her expression. His question was answered though as Gabriella suddenly leaned forward, placing her lips gently against the corner of his mouth for a brief moment before pulling back with an excited grin. "Yes."

Troy couldn't stop the smile that erupted on his face as his heart leapt for joy. "Yeah?"

"I'd love to. It's about time too, don't you think?"

Troy nodded, feeling more confident to do the second thing he wanted to do as he began to lean over to her, resting his forehead against hers and looking into her eyes before rubbing his nose against hers and closing the gap between their lips.

It was about time. They were finally going on a date. And it only took seven years.


	8. Settled Down

**AN: So this is it, the final chapter of this story! I want to thank every single person who read this story. It means so much to me that you all even read this story and that on top of that, you enjoyed it so much as it started as just some random idea I had. Anyways, thanks again and for those who haven't, I highly recommend checking out the song that inspired this all. :) Enjoy! (oh and thanks to Mona for helping me pick out names in this chapter and for Diana and Stacey who helped me pick out other character names earlier on, to Arlyn for helping edit a few of these chapters and for convincing me to post this story, and for anyone else I missed, lol. Your help was much appreciated!) **

**Chapter 8 **

"He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

"Daddy, I want to hear another story!" The little boy exclaimed, grumbling as his father shut the book and placed it beside the bed.

"Yeah Dada pwease," the young, brown curly-haired toddler begged as she climbed onto her father's lap, placing her hand on his jaw and batting her big brown eyes at him.

Troy fought off the grin that was threatening to break through his lips while he looked at his two year old daughter who had a firm grip on his chin, not letting him look elsewhere. "Angel, your mommy might be upset with me if I keep you two up too late. It's bed time."

"No Dada, we want more stowies," the little girl cried out as she gripped his face in her hands, her forehead placed against his while she gave her demands.

"No, Daddy she won't get mad. If Mommy does, we'll just smile at her like this and she'll say it's okay." Troy chuckled at his nearly four year old son who smiled as big as he could, his tiny teeth and bright blue eyes shining.

"When you smile what way, Henry Aiden? That smile doesn't always work on me, sweetie." Troy spun his head around at the sound of her voice, his heart filling with warmth at the site of her. After six years of marriage, eight years of being together, she still had the same effect on him.

"Mommy, we want to hear another story but Daddy said we had to go to bed. Can we hear another story pleaaaaseee?" Henry put on his best puppy dog face, his lips forming a pout as his big blue eyes stared at her.

Gabriella just shook her head amused, walking over to her son, her hand grazing Troy's back as she walked by him over to Henry. Troy just smiled up at her and held his daughter closer to him while she rested her cheek on his shoulder and cuddled into the crook of his neck.

"I'll tell you what Henry, if you lay down in bed right now, Daddy and I will turn out the lights and tell you one more story before you go to sleep. Remember, Santa won't be able to stop here if you aren't asleep! So only one more story, okay?"

"Okay. Do you think Santa's bringing my new bike?"

Gabriella nodded while her eyes trailed over to connect with Troy's, smirking at him. "If Santa can figure out how to put it together tonight, then I'm sure it'll be there in the morning." Troy tried not to laugh, shaking his head back and forth at her before mouthing a sarcastic 'thanks babe' to her.

"Yay!" Henry cheered while he jumped up and down in his Batman pajamas, his cape flying in the air. "Okay Mommy and Daddy, I'll get into bed right now. Hurry up and tell the story so Santa can get here!"

Troy and Gabriella laughed at their enthusiastic child, sharing a small grin before Gabriella tucked Henry into his bed and dropped a kiss on his forehead. Taking a few strides over to Troy, Gabriella leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead before bringing her lips up to drop a kiss on an anxious Troy's forehead. "I'll go turn out the lights. You put that one in bed and I'll be back in a second for story time."

"No mama, I want to wead the stowy in Henwy's bed," Cameron protested as she reached out for her older brother's bed.

Troy raised his eyebrows at his wife, "Ella, what do you say?"

Sighing, Gabriella rolled her eyes at her husband, "Okay Cam, Daddy and you can go get into bed with Henry for the story okay? But after that you have to sleep in your own bed like a big girl."

Squealing, the toddler clapped her hands and tugged on Troy's shirt. "Come on Daddy."

"Alright Angel," Troy said to appease her, standing up and making his way over to Henry's bed, thanking the little boy as he scooted over before taking the space next to him.

Henry Aiden Bolton and Cameron Joanne Bolton were the pride and joy of two very happy and in love parents. The small family lived in a very nice house in Greensborough, where Gabriella was a pediatrician and Troy was a photographer for the local news in addition to working freelance often in the city about an hour outside of Greensborough. Troy and Gabriella had moved back to Greensborough shortly after she'd finished getting her degree in medicine about four years earlier, and had immediately found out Gabriella was pregnant. The two couldn't have been more ecstatic at the time they found out, since they'd been married already for a couple of years and had been hoping to start a family. So shortly after starting to work as a pediatrician in town, Gabriella took a break to have her first child, who they agreed to name Henry after Mr. Walters. Then nearly two years after that, they were blessed with another child, whom they named after Mrs. Walters, both of them wanting to honor the couple for their influence in not only Troy's life, but also in getting them together.

A minute later, Gabriella returned to the room and turned off the main light before slipping in bed on the other side of Henry. Troy smiled at his wife and took her hand in his, lacing them together and resting them over the top of their two children who were snuggled up between them. Who would have thought all those years ago on that Christmas Eve that the girl he randomly met would end up becoming his wife? He certainly didn't know that back then, but he was so grateful for that night and for her. With her hand laced through his, Troy ran his finger over the ring on her ring finger, remembering the evening he asked her to be his wife.

_It was Christmas Eve two years after Troy and Gabriella had first started dating, and as was custom the past two years, they were back in Greensborough for Christmas. Currently, they were walking hand in hand down the streets of Greensborough enjoying all of the festivities. _

_On the outside, the two looked extremely happy like they didn't have a care in the world. Well, that was true for one of them. Troy however was anything but calm. He was the most nervous he'd ever been in his life as his hand nervously fidgeted with a small box in his pocket. The box had been burning a hole in his pocket since he placed it in there earlier that afternoon. He'd purchased it two weeks prior at a jewelry store in New York one afternoon while Gabriella was in class. They'd both graduated a little over a year earlier, but he was currently working for a newspaper company while Gabriella was in her second year at medical school. _

_After buying the ring and getting the approval of it from Gabriella's best friend and his own mom, Troy had hidden it from her, knowing the exact time and place he wanted to ask her to be his. In his mind, it was the perfect way to ask her, and he was nervously anticipating the moment. _

"_You okay Troy?" _

_Troy's head snapped around to look at her at the sound of her voice, smiling reassuringly when he noticed her nervous look. "Everything's perfect Ella," Troy whispered, leaning down to brush his lips against her hair. _

"_Okay, you just seem nervous about something," Gabriella continued, her thoughts right on spot as usual. _

_Chuckling to himself at how she could read him like a book, Troy decided to partially tell her the truth of what he was thinking, knowing it'd be a good lead in to his more important question he'd be asking later. _

"_Well, the truth is," Troy paused, taking full advantage of the fact that she was hanging on every word he said, "I wanted to ask you if you would join me for a dance?" _

_Gabriella playfully shoved his shoulder, knowing he'd done that on purpose, but unable to resist his charm, she grinned at him and nodded her head excitedly. "I'd love to." _

_Unable to resist, Troy leaned down and pecked her lips, "Let's go." With her hand still interlaced through his, Troy tugged her behind him as they weaved through the crowd and up the steps of the gazebo to where they shared their first dance all those years earlier. _

_Like the charming guy he was, Troy took a step back, twirling Gabriella around before pulling her into his body. While his left hand gently cupped her hand, his right arm wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her close to him. Troy sighed in content, loving how her head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck and how he could feel her soft breaths on his skin. Troy subtly began guiding them to the center of the gazebo where a bit of mistletoe was hanging, kissing her on the forehead once they arrived there, letting his lips linger as he inhaled her scent. _

"_Hey Ella," Troy barely breathed out her name. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for, and he hoped that she'd been waiting for it as well. _

"_Hmm?" Gabriella responded, reluctantly pulling away from the comfortable place on his shoulder to look at Troy who was smirking up at something above them. Following his eyes upward, Gabriella blushed when she saw the small decoration above them. He still could make her blush bright red after all this time. Leaning up to brush her lips against his, Gabriella was shocked when she felt him place his hands on her shoulders and pull away. Her eyes were filled with confusion as she looked at him. _

"_Before we do that, I wanted to ask you something," Troy began, his hands trailing down her arms until they reached her fingertips, his fingers unconsciously playing with hers. "Ella, this spot means a lot to me…to the both of us. This is where it all began for us. Back then, I had no idea when I saw you sitting by the fire that we'd end up here one day. I still thank God every day for the second chance I got with you. Most people aren't thankful for car accidents that could have taken their life, but I am because it brought you to me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The scar on my arm and the one on my forehead remind me of you and what a blessing it is to be alive and have you with me. And this place reminds me of you. I'm forever grateful to your parents for stupidly dragging you around the country over your Christmas break and stopping here in this town. I'm grateful for you saying yes and coming back here with me two years ago. I'm thankful for you being able to meet Mr. and Mrs. W. and learn what an impact they had on my life, and I'm thankful for our first date, our second date, and each one after that. Every moment with you I'm grateful for. You mean everything to me, and I made a promise to myself that night we'd met again when I was in the hospital that I'd never let go of you. You're it for me Ella…you always have been, and always will be. So with that being said," Troy took a deep breath, pulling the small box out of his pocket and opening it while dropping down to one knee, ignoring the gasps of everyone else around except for Gabriella's, "Ella, will you marry me?" _

_It was if everyone else around faded away in that moment. Troy was only aware of the woman in front of him, watching as her eyes glistened with tears before she reached up with her free hand to wipe them away. A smile began to make its way onto her face as she slowly nodded her head. "Yes Troy. I'd love nothing more than to marry you." _

_Troy slipped the ring onto her finger, laying a soft kiss there before nearly jumping up off the ground and wrapping his arms around her waist, picking her up and spinning her around while they both glowed with smiles. Finally setting her back down underneath the mistletoe, Troy wasted no time in connecting their lips, just like he had years before. _

--

"So what story do you want to read Henry?" Troy heard Gabriella ask, suddenly pulled out of his thoughts. "We have the Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty, the Polar Express..," Gabriella trailed off, laughing to herself as she looked down at her son who appeared to be deeply contemplating his choices.

"Welcome back there," Gabriella added cheekily at her husband, whose cheeks tinted as he realized he'd been caught. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, you know," Troy trailed off, taking her ring between his fingers and rotating it in circles around her finger. "Just thinking about us."

"Us?" Gabriella asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, this night always brings back lots of memories for me," Troy sent her a charming smile, dropping a kiss on his daughter's head as she cuddled closer to him, her eyes drifting shut.

"Me too," Gabriella agreed, knowing she'd been thinking about their first Christmas Eve together and the Christmas Eve when Troy had proposed. "She is such a Daddy's girl," Gabriella giggled as she looked at their daughter, running her free hand through her daughter's brunette locks of hair. "She just adores you."

"I adore her too," Troy whispered honestly, smiling at her before looking over at their son who was looking through a couple of books that were laying on his chest. "And I adore you little man."

Troy then let his eyes return to his wife before leaning over their two children to brush his lips against hers. "And of course, I adore you too," he added charmingly in a soft whisper against her lips.

"Such a charmer," Gabriella teased him as her heart raced.

"Only with you Ella," he quipped back, kissing her once more before both separated as they felt someone tug at their shirts.

"Yes Henry?" Troy sighed at the interruption.

"I figured out what story I want to hear."

"Alright, what'll it be?" Troy asked him as he began to shuffle through the books, stopping when he saw his son shaking his head.

"No Daddy, it's not one of those."

"Alright then kiddo, what's it gonna be?"

"I want you to tell me the Christmas story about you and Mommy, like you always do."

Troy and Gabriella both looked up from their son, their eyes connecting while they shared a small grin. The story was one that they often told, especially to their kids. For years before their kids could talk, it had been their bedtime story, and now, it had become a tradition, especially around Christmas.

Gripping his wife's hand a bit more tightly in his, Troy began to run soothing circles on her wrist, before looking back down at his eager son as he began to tell their favorite Christmas story.

"_It was the night before Christmas in Greensborough, Delaware…" _


End file.
